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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIf lichen sclerosus isn't in your genital area, you may not need treatment for lichen sclerosus, especially if you're not having symptoms. In fact, many cases disappear without any treatment.
If you have lichen sclerosus on or around your genitals or anus, or have a more advanced case on other parts of your body, your doctor will recommend treatment.
Corticosteroids
The most commonly prescribed treatment for lichen sclerosus is corticosteroid ointments or creams. These medications are usually quite effective and help stop the itching right away.
Doctors generally recommend putting cortisone creams or ointments on the affected patches of skin every day for several weeks. After that, you'll likely need to continue applying corticosteroids a couple of times a week to prevent a recurrence of lichen sclerosus. Your doctor will monitor you for side effects associated with prolonged use of topical corticosteroids, such as thinning of the skin.
Other treatment options
If corticosteroid treatment doesn't work, other treatments your doctor may prescribe include:
- Immune-modulating medications, such as tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel)
- Prescription sex hormones
- Ultraviolet light treatment, for nongenital areas
Treatments cause your skin to assume a more normal appearance and decrease its tendency for further scarring.
For men with lichen sclerosus on the foreskin, removal of the foreskin (circumcision) is a common treatment in cases resistant to other therapies or more advanced cases. Surgery generally isn't recommended for women with lichen sclerosus because the condition may just come back after surgery.
- What is lichen sclerosus? http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Lichen_Sclerosus/default.asp. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Accessed March 25, 2010.
- Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus. In: Habif TP. Habif: Clinical Dermatology. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00017-1--s1120&uniq=191177270&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&sid=973564791. Accessed March 25, 2010.
- Ferri FF. Lichen sclerosus. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191177270-3/973564791/2088/379.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00021-6--s1765_7799. Accessed March 25, 2010.
- Gibson LE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 31, 2010.
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