Patient's question:
What should be done about vaginal leukoplakia? Can it be cured?Doctor's answer:
Vaginal leukoplakia refers to localized or diffuse white patches appearing on the skin of the female genital area, which can spread to the inner thighs, perineum, and anus but rarely affect the urethral opening or vestibule. Symptoms include itching in the genital area, dry skin, thickening and whitening, loss of elasticity, and even atrophy and ulceration, accompanied by pain and burning sensation. Clinical pathological examination reveals atypical cell hyperplasia, which falls under the category of "vaginal pruritus," "vaginal pain," and "vaginal soreness" in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is often caused by damp-heat from the liver channel descending to invade the external genitalia, or due to blood deficiency with liver hyperactivity, yin deficiency of the liver and kidneys, or kidney yang deficiency, leading to insufficient nourishment of the external genitalia with essence and blood.Vaginal itching may sometimes be accompanied by a burning or painful sensation. Vaginal leukoplakia is also known as leukoplakia of the external genitalia, a chronic nutritional deficiency disease of the female genital area. It includes primary atrophic leukoplakia, atrophic lichen sclerosus, leukoplakia of the external genitalia, leukoplakic vaginitis, and vaginal xerosis. Clinicians typically classify conditions where the skin and mucosa become white, thickened, and atrophic as leukoplakia of the external genitalia. In TCM, it is referred to as "vaginal lichen," "vaginal sore," "vaginal erosion," and "vaginal pain." This condition is considered a precancerous lesion. TCM treats it based on different pathological characteristics and clinical symptoms, categorizing it under "vaginal pruritus" and "vaginal sore" for treatment.