Diagnosed with Lichen Slcerosus

[digitaldjs]

Hi,

i had been diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosus. But im not sure it was that. So this is the timeline of what happened. Please can someone give me any insight or opinion if this was really Lichen Sclerosus?

I'm a black male 23 years old from europe.

Timeline:
1) Middle november 2012, i saw a white patch near the tip of my penis, in the same time i have found another one inside my foreskin (The area which touched the white patch on tip of my penis). These patches appeared from day to night, i never saw them before.
2) I went to an STD clinic and they told me it wasn't an STD, but they couldn't figure out what they were. They told me to wait a couple of months to see if they goes away.
3) 6 weeks later white patches on the tip and foreskin started to turn darker, on the same time i found another white patch on my foreskin (This was very little while the previous ones were larger)
4) 8 th week, all two bigger white patches were turned completely black and the small one was turning darker too.
5) i went to a dermatologist on 9th week who told me it should be LS, but there areas were no more white, they were turned black. He prescribed me a cream called colbetosol to apply on that area the day and night for a week.
6) 4 months later the area is still black, i can't find any other white patches on my penis.

My questions are:
1) Is it possible that LS occured so quickly (Suddenly a white patch showed up) and goes away in just 6-8 weeks?
2) The dark area on my penis which was pink before LS will ever return to normal skin color?
3) Could that area turn into a cancer? (I'm very worried)

Thank you in advance for any help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Lichen sclerosus does not appear all of a sudden. It can turn into cancer and malignant changes may be present. Also the effected areas do not return to normal and Skin that has been scarred as a result of lichen sclerosus is more likely to develop skin cancer. Hence get it biopsied to confirm the diagnosis.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[digitaldjs]

Hello,

Thank you very much for your reply. I don't think it's lichen planus as the patches were white (I can't find any information which says lichen planus makes white patches) the only condition i found which produce white patches on genital region was lichen sclerosus (The same as diagnosed by the dermatologist who visited me). But my questions were:

1) Is it possible that LS occured so quickly (Suddenly a white patch showed up) and goes away in just 6-8 weeks?
2) The dark area on my penis which was pink before LS will ever return to normal skin color?
3) Could that area turn into a cancer? (I'm very worried)
4) is there anything else other than lichen sclerosus which can produce white patches?

Thank you very much.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
You need to get the area biopsied to confirm the diagnosis. Apart from lichen sclerosus it can be lichen planus as well. It is an itchy papular eruption characterized by its violaceous color. Lichen planus is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and the oral mucosa, and presents itself in the form of papules(flat spots) or rashes.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.