Lichen sclerosus is an common skin condition that is considered an autoimmune condition that creates a discoloration of the skin. With Lichen sclerosus, the skin becomes whitish, patchy and is very itchy.
The skin, over time, becomes thinner. If Lichen is left untreated, lichen can lead to other complications such as infections. Most people need some form of treatment, while others, the lichen goes away on its own.
Lichen (LS) is considered an autoimmune condition, which means even if it “clears up”, it may return. It can lay dormant, and then “pop” out when your body is under stress, or when your body is ill from something else. Autoimmune diseases live in your body forever. Treatment will most likely become life long.
Content Source: Healing Lichen Sclerosus Naturally
A lichen, or lichenized fungus, is actually two organisms functioning as a single, stable unit. Lichens comprise a fungus living in a symbiotic relationship with an alga or cyanobacterium (or both in some instances). There are about 17,000 species of lichen worldwide.
Crustose Lichens – Foliose and fruticose lichens are clearly three dimensional and show much obvious variation in form. The markedly two-dimensional crustose lichens have less scope for showing as much variation but all crustose lichens are not just uniform flat sheets.
Transition From Lichen Sclerosus to Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Single Tissue Section – Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that most commonly affects the anogenital region. Progressive sclerosis results in scarring with distortion of the normal epithelial architecture. The lifetime risk for developing squamous cell carcinoma as a complication of long-standing lichen sclerosus has been estimated as 4% to 6%.