Vulvar leukoplakia is a gynecological disease that we should pay attention to. After getting sick, patients may also experience abnormal conditions in the external genitalia, and we need to go to the hospital for examination in a timely manner to confirm the diagnosis.
Types of white spots on the external genitalia
1. Proliferative vulvar leukoplakia: Generally occurs in women aged 30-60. The surface color is mostly dark red or pink, mixed with clearly defined white patches, generally without atrophy or adhesion. The main symptom is itching of the external genitalia, which exacerbates pain after injury. The affected skin thickens like leather, with raised folds, or scales or eczema like changes. The scope of the lesion varies, mainly affecting the labia majora, labial sulcus, clitoral foreskin, and posterior commissure, and is mostly symmetrical.
2. Cured lichen type vulvar leukoplakia: visible age, mostly seen in women around 40 years old. The main symptom is itching in the affected area, but it is generally milder than proliferative diseases and has difficulty reproducing in the late stage. The lesion involves the skin of the external genitalia, mucosa, and the skin around the anus. In addition to whitening, thinning, and drying of the skin and mucous membranes, which are prone to rupture, loss of elasticity, atrophy of the penis, adhesion to the foreskin, and disappearance of a flat labia minora. In the late stage, thin wrinkles on the skin contract like cigarette paper, and the vaginal opening contracts and narrows, only the fingertips.
3. Mixed vulvar leukoplakia: mainly manifested as areas near thin vulvar leukoplakia, or localized skin thickening or protrusion within its range.
Symptoms of vulvar leukoplakia
1. Pruritus: Firstly, the external genitalia is itchy, especially at night, where itching becomes more severe. The degree of itching is related to the time of disease occurrence, menstrual cycle, climate changes, daily diet, living environment, emotional changes, etc. It is usually intermittent, and patients may scratch continuously due to unbearable itching. After scratching, there will be multiple scratches and redness in the external vagina, and over time, local areas are prone to ulceration, cracking, ulceration, and secondary infections.
2. Excessive keratinization: In the early stage, excessive keratinization is also the focus of analyzing symptoms of vulvar leukoplakia. Limited or diffuse white thickening of the skin mucosa of the external genitalia, such as leather, wrinkles, scales, and eczema. The skin color of the external genitalia is mostly purple red or light red, appearing as gray white or gray blue, mixed with clearly defined white keratinized plaques of different shapes and sizes. The genital area is significantly atrophied, the foreskin of the penis is thick, the keratinization is obvious, the texture of the labia majora is thick, and the pigmentation is reduced.
3. Rough skin: The patient's affected skin will gradually become rough and thicken like moss, making it prone to cracking after scratching. Moreover, local pigmentation will decrease, and the labia minora and labia minora will generally turn white. When the condition is mild, the external genitalia undergoes mild atrophy. In severe cases, the penis undergoes atrophy, with adhesions of the labia and labia, partially or completely disappearing. Later, the vaginal opening becomes narrower and the elasticity disappears, affecting normal urination and marital life.