Do you know what vulvar leukoplakia is?

Nowadays, many people have heard of vulvar leukoplakia, but they know very little about it. So, what is vulvar leukoplakia? Some people think it is an infectious disease, while others think it is a common gynecological disease and do not pay much attention to it. Vulvar leukoplakia is a gynecological disease, but it is different from general gynecological diseases. Some female friends do not understand it and only realize the seriousness of the problem when they go to the hospital for a check-up.

Vulvar white lesions, also known as vulvar white lesions, vulvar leukoplakia or vulvar dystrophy, were previously considered to be vascular malnutrition. However, with further understanding of the disease, the above changes were not found. Instead, it was a lesion in which the vulvar skin and mucosal tissues underwent pigment changes and degeneration. Because the vulvar skin and mucosa of patients with lichen sclerosus and squamous cell hyperplasia are mostly white, it is called vulvar white lesions, which belong to non-neoplastic changes in the vulvar epithelium. Lichen sclerosus and squamous cell hyperplasia have changed their names several times in different eras due to different clinical and pathological understandings. They were originally called vulvar leukoplakia, leukoplakia vulvitis, vulvar xeroderma, hyperplastic or atrophic vulvitis, neurodermatitis, lichen sclerosus and atrophic, etc. Due to confusion in the name of the disease, the International Society for the Study of Vulvar Diseases (ISSVD) referred to it as "chronic vulvar dystrophy" in 1975. In recent years, the understanding of non-neoplastic intraepithelial changes in the vulva has been continuously deepened, and in fact, no clear vascular neurotrophic disorders have been found in vulvar lesions. For this reason, in 1987, the International Society for the Study of Vulvar Diseases (ISSVD) and the International Society of Gynecologic Pathologists (ISGYP) jointly discussed and formulated a new classification of vulvar skin diseases.

The main symptom of vulvar leukoplakia is extreme itching. The itching may last from 2 to 3 months from onset to treatment, or even up to 20 years. The severity of the itching is not affected by season or day or night. Patients with vulvar squamous hyperplasia may experience more severe itching. If accompanied by trichomoniasis or candidal vaginitis, the secretions will be more, and the local burning, stinging and itching are related to the damage or infection of the skin and mucous membranes. There is varying degrees of local hypopigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes, often with edema, chapped skin and scattered superficial ulcers.

As a woman, you should always pay attention to your physical health, especially changes in private parts and organs such as breasts. After all, those are the hallmarks of being a woman. Problems with your private parts not only affect your physical health, but also your life as a couple and your family. If you have unfortunately been diagnosed with the disease, you must seek timely treatment and recover as soon as possible.