talkhealth forums

I have been told to only wash with water, and to apply coconut oil or vaseline as a moisturiser in between steroid use. Advised to avoid any emollients such as hydromol for either moisturising or washing with.

I understand this differs to advice that others have been given. What would you typically advise.

Lichen sclerosus can be made worse by anything that irritates the skin, so the general advice is to avoid soaps and shower gels that are detergent-based. If a little of the detergent is left on the skin, for instance trapped in the folds, then it can ‘tickle-up’ the skin problem.
My personal advice is to use a non-perfumed and simple moisturiser instead of soap in the bath or shower (so it is slimy rather than foamy), to rinse it off well and then to apply a rich barrier emollient such as Vaseline, Hydromol, Epaderm or 50:50 ointment. If someone feels more comfortable with a rich cream or moisturising gel (instead of an ointment) and it does not irritate, then that might work for them, but the less heavy moisturisers contain more water and therefore more preserving chemicals, so have slightly more potential to irritate some people.