To ask for help with daughter’s vulvovaginitis?

[2TheLighthouse]

Posting in desperation really. We’ve been to the doctor who had a good look and took a swab (results back tomorrow but she didn’t think on first inspection there was an infection). The skin is just so inflamed/sore in places that she is in pain every time she pees. We’ve tried Vaseline, sudocrem, bepanthen, now using epiderm from the dr.

It has been about a week of soreness and doesn’t seem any better. What on earth can we do?! We’re already avoiding all soap/bubble bath, using 100% cotton underwear etc. Is there a magic ointment out there somewhere?!

How about yellow metanium nappy rash ointment? Might be worth a try. X

Have you done the night time check for threadworms?

Also, double check your washing powder/fabric softener situation. both very common causes of this kind of soreness.

Threadworms. I had thought of that and then forgot. I will double check. Thank you.
Will try the metanium too - that was great as a nappy cream.

Washing powder?

Any possibility of Thrush? I have pain weeing with thrush.

How old is she? My 10 year old DD gets it really badly and the best thing we have found is having regular vinegar baths.

She’s 8. We haven’t tried vinegar baths but might need to.

I recommend Dermol 500 and stick to showers for now.
Extra rinsing in the washing machine. I have a Samsung machine that does 5 rinses now, but previously would have done a wash with detergent first (with spin turned off) then another wash with no detergent (with spin on).
Or rinse her underwear by hand after it's been through the washing machine.

Is it definitely not lichen sclerosis?

Get her to wee in the bath - when it has water in it - so she's sitting in the water. It's a lot more comfortable for weeing.

I don’t think it’s lichen sclerosis as there’s no white patches at all.

Stop using Vaseline

We have stopped this now as it didn’t help - but I don’t think that caused the problem?

Try an emollient such as Oilatum or E45?

My daughter has this and we have found its worse in summer. No sitting around in swimwear and changing underwear frequently helps. She has a bath with only bi carb soda in it which helps soothe. We also use bepanthen.
Definitely no soap.
If she has a flare up it might take a few days to get it under control.
Definitely check for worms, she is worse if there is a thread worm.
I have also heard that sleeping without underwear helps but my daughter didn't want to do that.
I hope something works for your DD, it's not nice at all. Sometimes a combination of things eventually gets on top of it.

My DD has this, it's awful sometimes. Just back from a check up, GP advises worming the whole family just in case, cotton underwear, and prescribed a mild hydrocortisone for when it's not flared up (as then it stings her) and a barrier cream. When it is flaring up, just something like bepanthen/metanium and the barrier cream. Shower/bubble bath alternatives have also been prescribed but my DD really doesn't like them. They just keep saying she'll grow out of it by puberty but it's terrible to see her in pain and we have years to go. Hope it doesn't last too much longer for your DD.

I have this. Had never heard if it until I was diagnosed. The soreness, the fragile skin, pain when peeing and the itching were horrible. Steroid cream clears it in a day everytime it flares up. Has the doctor ruled it out Op.

My daughter is 8 also, and suffered with this on and off for years (we'd tried all sorts - nappy rash creams, vaseline, canestan, BV gel, sudocrem, different intimate washes, different washing powders etc), until we finally found a doc who diagnosed it as vulvovaginitis and prescribed Timodene cream (an antifungal and weak hydrocortisone), and said to absolutely NOT wash her vulva with soap or shower gel - warm fresh water only, daily. (Soap is ok for thighs and back bum though.)

Doc also said to use hydrocortisone cream 1% (available over the counter at the pharmacy) at the start to reduce the irritation.
It's been a game-changer and she's had no flare-ups since! Make sure to rinse the area with fresh warm water after sitting in a bath or going swimming too, to remove any soap or chlorine residue which upsets the pH balance.

Hope this helps :)

I didn't ever have white patches. My vaginal opening and vulva were red raw. The skin where my hymen would have been as a child splits just from kneeling and sitting on my heels.

She doesn't need to have white patches for it to be Lichen sclerosis.

Have you tried Canesten cream. It won't do any harm. My daughter got thrush from swimming pool and only symptom was redness and sore ness.

I had that a fair bit as a little one as well. I'd say from about the ages of 5 to 11, but worst when I was maybe 7/8/9. But then puberty hit and I pretty much grew out of it.
The only thing that really helped when I had a flare up was that yellow nappy cream. I forget what it's called though. A pharmacist will know.

In terms of management, absolutely nothing in the bath like bubbles etc. Wash only with water. Be careful with washing powder as well. Go as natural as you can.

Personally I would not put canestan on it. I would get hydrocortisone from the chemist and start there. Ls can be diagnosed via symptoms, but without the obvious white patches may take a biopsy. Keep an eye on sugar intake, if you can keep it to a minimum.

Canesten might help. The cream, not the pessary. Savlon is good for soothing it in between.

Definitely get some ovex in case of threadworms and try oat baths. Fill a sock with plain oats and tie round the tap so the water runs through it. Like you do for chicken pox spots.

I would say salt bath but it might dry it out more and make things worse.