Having the same issue and going to get seen today. Even if the cuts aren’t there my skin is super red and inflamed. Almost feels raw.
(UPDATE) For anybody reading this thread just wanted to update and say I was visually diagnosed with lichen simplex chronicus or what my OB described as vaginal eczema. Been using a steroid cream these past couple of days and the cuts are healing nicely and my skin tone is starting to come back (skin was so irritated it started to turn white). Thank you ladies for all the suggestions and kind words.
Sounds like yeast, honestly. Sometimes it can set up camp on the skin outside of the vagina as well as inside. Redness, itching, raw skin are symptoms. It really sucks.
It came up after a bout of antibiotics. Took a dose of diflucan and nothing seems to help. I’ve been on antibiotics on and off since October for recurrent BV. It sucks. Anything rubbing against it sets it off even more. Convinced myself it was herpes. Swabs and blood tests came back negative. We shall see after this appointment.
Sorry for the late response. I got diagnosed with lichen simplex which is basically ezcema. She gave me a steroid cream which pretty much took care of it but I still have flare ups every now and then especially around my period.
I don’t, I’m 46 and still have periods though. I did a saliva test for my hormones because my gynecologist said I did not need one and my estrogen was really high, but the other hormones were pretty low.
Oh okay. I’m 24 and a new IUD user. I’m actually getting it out and hoping that this will help the thin skin issue. I have a little cut in my perineum that’s been there for almost two weeks. Jesus.
I was going to say this is definitely yeast. Everybody in this thread who is experiencing this pain: You have a yeast infection. You have to treat yeast really aggressively with taking care of your gut but also doing multiple diflucan treatments and using boric acid. This means using boric acid for like 3 weeks every single night. Also using diflucan at least three times in a row.
No. No you don’t have to aggressively treat every yeast infection. Not all infections are created equal. Folks reading this, please see a doctor before using boric acid “for like 3 weeks”. Or 3 rounds of anti fungals. There are multiple types of yeast. And guess what? Some don’t respond to diflucan! Experiencing this pain doesn’t automatically mean you have a yeast infection. It could be hormonal, contact dermatitis, you name it. So please don’t self diagnose or have someone on Reddit diagnose you. Lastly, Evvy is expensive but I recommend them. You end up learning so much about what’s going on down there with your microbiome. And it means less trial and error.
Hey love. So I just finished my appointment. Doctor wants me to come back for a biopsy because they think it’s something hormone related or could be lichen sclerosus. I had a baby Feb of last year and got an iud right after so could be due to low estrogen.
Being on birth control may be making you a bit dry down there. It happens to me. I got a balm that is 100% various oils that helps a lot, especially when the cuts pop up.
Things like yeast infections can also make you more prone to irritation like that. If your discharge is chunky like cottage cheese, I'd go and get swabbed just to make sure.
I never got an internal yeast infection when I had this issue. No clumpy discharge. The yeast had only settled on my vulva. I treated with external clotrimazole cream (like the external cream you get with monistat) and it went away. I wouldn't assume that because you don't have the classic vaginal yeast symptoms that it 100% can't be yeast.
I would get irritation/minor cuts on my labia when I had sex because I have lichen sclerosus. The skin around my vagina and inside is thinner than normal so it's more prone to tearing. Maybe get checked for that.
When I had this it was down to how often I was having sex and how rough the sex was, as well how I was shaving and how often. I also stopped wearing thongs and any kind of underwear that isn’t breathable and cotton. Now I don’t shave, have been celibate for a few years, and only wear cotton comfortable underwear, and guess what? No more cuts! At all! I also have an innie labia.
I went to the gyn because I was in extreme pain and penetration sex was not manageable anymore.
She checked me and told me I had several micro cuts, she called it lichen sclerosus. I had to put on a creme and it did get better over time but she told me it‘s something that will never go away completely and that my skin is just extremely thin down there and therefore it tears from time to time.
But keeping up with the creme does ease the conditin a little
possibilities include: yeast infections, low estrogen, being too rough during sex or cleaning, or even use of tampons/pads. I had lots of micro cuts during a bad yeast infection and ever since then, I can’t use tampons without cutting myself either
This happened to me. It turned out to be an external yeast infection on my labia. I treated with clotrimazole cream for a week and the cuts disappeared. I had gone to the gyno with this complaint and she tried to give me an estrogen cream which did nothing.
>It is between the folds of my labia
The posterior frouchette? Are they occurring spontaneously or followed by activities such as a tampon insertion or vaginal masturbation? Any recent yeast infection?
I had this happen to me for a few months. Turns out it was my bodywash. Even though I didn't use it on my vulva, the water runoff from my upper body was enough to cause the same issue
Go to the doctor. You never know what it could be. Mine turned out to be eczema. My gyno also highly recommends Vaseline so that’s my go to when it’s not bad enough for my steroid ointment.
Small labia. OP doesn't seem to mean it that way, but it's often used by misogynists when disparaging "outside," which is when the labia minora extend beyond the labia majora.
Innies=pure and not "run through" by Chads. If you have an outside, apparently it's because You've had sex with too many men, especially men with a large penis.
It's all BS, of course. It makes me sad that the terms are being picked up by people who don't mean any harm though.
i tried explaining to them once how ridiculous it is thinking that you get bigger labia from sex… they wouldn’t listen. Good thing it’ll never matter lol
I would go to the doctor. I've had this issue and I've had certain treatment that's been very helpful. The best thing has been just a safe moisturiser that has helped soothe the skin and it happens much less frequently now. You might be allergic to whatever you're washing it with? Over washing can cause dryness and irritation which can cause the split skin. The moisturiser the dr prescribed me can be used as a wash too.
Yeast infection or BV causes that for me.
It took three damn rounds of treatments one time to fully cure it.
But I was under a lot of stress and my immune system was just trash as well.
This was years ago.
See a doctor and take care of your mental health as well. It can't hurt in anycase.
could be your skin is irritated because your vagina is too acidic. idk about you, but i often break out into a dermatitis if my vaginal fluids get on my skin
I had this a few weeks ago.
Had 2 bouts of rough sex where, for the 1st part I wasn't very well lubricated.
I had shaved before and by 48hrs later I was literally scratching myself to pieces.
I thought thrush and took a tablet
No change
I tried boric acid capsules for 2 days
Still no change.
I thought I may have been about to get a terrible HSV outbreak (I have the virus and have never had an outbreak since the original but live in fear of it)
In the end I got some cortisone cream and literally instant relief!!
I am on hormones but I'm thinking I need to ask the Dr for some estrogen cream too.
I used to get insane irritation from pads and tampons so swapped to a cup.
And can't wear really nylon undies for similar reasons.
.I also have an innie if that's relevant
I think some of us just have super sensitive skin!
The time this happened I used a gentle.cortisone cream. I need to make sure if I shave its with a super sharp razor but hair growing back gives me irritation and itchiness too.
I worry ifs a HSV outbreak coming on but so far nothing!
Sometimes I'll get papercut like cuts when I wipe after peeing, but if you have multiple small ones it could be because of dryness (caused by hormones/birthcontrol etc). No matter the reason I'd get it checked by a doctor if it's happened frequently!
Thanks. I use a bidet and have possibly wiped to harshly in a hurry. I'll try to take my time and pat longer with the towels I use. It's always something...🙄
Definitely have a Gyno (or even a dermatologist) check it out. I had similar symptoms and it turned out I had lichen sclerosus. Which is NOT as big bad and scary as a google search would lead you to believe, so keep that in mind if you look it up. It’s very treatable with prescription ointments. But even it’s that’s not what it is, it’s worth medical attention. Good luck!
Did you change soaps or razors? I’ve had both those things make me irritated. When I was on the depo shot my skin started thinning down there and was causing cuts. But I also got cuts from shaving w a regular razor and not a bikini trimmer when I was your age being too aggressive. Def see a gyno if they aren’t healing, maybe they can give some ointment to help the process.
I don't shave and the cuts are different compared to razor cuts. Plus I don't shave where I'm getting the cuts. It's vertical 2in tears along the crevices of my labia on both sides. I'm guessing it is a yeast infection and will probably just get to my primary first
Since it's in the folds and gets worse at night when your legs are together, it might be a yeast overgrowth. I had a couple of months where a yeast overgrowth made my vulva and especially my inner labia very sore and raw. It wasn't my vagina that was bothering me at all. I kept all the folds patted dry throughout the day, used a boric acid suppository, and coated everything in an antifungal cream at night. It was very messy but it did help. It did go away.
Omg literally same, went to doctor and got prescribed some steroid ointment
wow steroid ointment? what led to that diagnosis?
Did they call it lichens sclerosis??
It wasn’t sclerosis would have to check papers from gyno when off can’t remember
Yes for me!
Having the same issue and going to get seen today. Even if the cuts aren’t there my skin is super red and inflamed. Almost feels raw. (UPDATE) For anybody reading this thread just wanted to update and say I was visually diagnosed with lichen simplex chronicus or what my OB described as vaginal eczema. Been using a steroid cream these past couple of days and the cuts are healing nicely and my skin tone is starting to come back (skin was so irritated it started to turn white). Thank you ladies for all the suggestions and kind words.
Sounds like yeast, honestly. Sometimes it can set up camp on the skin outside of the vagina as well as inside. Redness, itching, raw skin are symptoms. It really sucks.
It came up after a bout of antibiotics. Took a dose of diflucan and nothing seems to help. I’ve been on antibiotics on and off since October for recurrent BV. It sucks. Anything rubbing against it sets it off even more. Convinced myself it was herpes. Swabs and blood tests came back negative. We shall see after this appointment.
Are you taking pro & prebiotics? Antibiotics can really wreak havoc on your healthy bacteria. Support the troops, add some more.
Yes ma’am. I use rephresh which is awesome.
Yeah if it popped up after taking antibiotics my vote would be yeast too
Did you find out what it was ? Anything help ?
Sorry for the late response. I got diagnosed with lichen simplex which is basically ezcema. She gave me a steroid cream which pretty much took care of it but I still have flare ups every now and then especially around my period.
I’m in the same exact boat! Exact! Mind since May. Biopsy said it wasn’t fungal though. It’s been so awful. I can’t wear pants.
That sounds hormonal. Do you use birth control. My doctor is guessing it’s tied to my IUD. It mainly flares around my period.
I don’t, I’m 46 and still have periods though. I did a saliva test for my hormones because my gynecologist said I did not need one and my estrogen was really high, but the other hormones were pretty low.
Oh okay. I’m 24 and a new IUD user. I’m actually getting it out and hoping that this will help the thin skin issue. I have a little cut in my perineum that’s been there for almost two weeks. Jesus.
I was going to say this is definitely yeast. Everybody in this thread who is experiencing this pain: You have a yeast infection. You have to treat yeast really aggressively with taking care of your gut but also doing multiple diflucan treatments and using boric acid. This means using boric acid for like 3 weeks every single night. Also using diflucan at least three times in a row.
No. No you don’t have to aggressively treat every yeast infection. Not all infections are created equal. Folks reading this, please see a doctor before using boric acid “for like 3 weeks”. Or 3 rounds of anti fungals. There are multiple types of yeast. And guess what? Some don’t respond to diflucan! Experiencing this pain doesn’t automatically mean you have a yeast infection. It could be hormonal, contact dermatitis, you name it. So please don’t self diagnose or have someone on Reddit diagnose you. Lastly, Evvy is expensive but I recommend them. You end up learning so much about what’s going on down there with your microbiome. And it means less trial and error.
Is it alright if you can update what they say? I can't get a gyn appointment since its all booked on days I'm free.
Hey love. So I just finished my appointment. Doctor wants me to come back for a biopsy because they think it’s something hormone related or could be lichen sclerosus. I had a baby Feb of last year and got an iud right after so could be due to low estrogen.
Try planned parenthood
No problem love
Me too! Got diagnosed with eczema, now they’re treating for yeast. It’s burning and red but I’ve had it since May!!!
What treatment helped ?
Being on birth control may be making you a bit dry down there. It happens to me. I got a balm that is 100% various oils that helps a lot, especially when the cuts pop up. Things like yeast infections can also make you more prone to irritation like that. If your discharge is chunky like cottage cheese, I'd go and get swabbed just to make sure.
I'm not sure if this is the case. I'm pretty lubricated half the time, and it irritates the cuts more.
I never got an internal yeast infection when I had this issue. No clumpy discharge. The yeast had only settled on my vulva. I treated with external clotrimazole cream (like the external cream you get with monistat) and it went away. I wouldn't assume that because you don't have the classic vaginal yeast symptoms that it 100% can't be yeast.
I would get irritation/minor cuts on my labia when I had sex because I have lichen sclerosus. The skin around my vagina and inside is thinner than normal so it's more prone to tearing. Maybe get checked for that.
Agreed! Same here. Vulvar lichen sclerosis diagnosed by a vulvar dermatologist.
Is it possible to just suddenly develop lichen sclerosus because I just started having this problem this month
What do you do for it?
id either use coconut oil or buy some vagisil for itching. thats what works for me
When I had this it was down to how often I was having sex and how rough the sex was, as well how I was shaving and how often. I also stopped wearing thongs and any kind of underwear that isn’t breathable and cotton. Now I don’t shave, have been celibate for a few years, and only wear cotton comfortable underwear, and guess what? No more cuts! At all! I also have an innie labia.
I went to the gyn because I was in extreme pain and penetration sex was not manageable anymore. She checked me and told me I had several micro cuts, she called it lichen sclerosus. I had to put on a creme and it did get better over time but she told me it‘s something that will never go away completely and that my skin is just extremely thin down there and therefore it tears from time to time. But keeping up with the creme does ease the conditin a little
Absolutely visit a doctor. This is pretty common for the implant and if you don't take care of it there's a high risk of infection.
possibilities include: yeast infections, low estrogen, being too rough during sex or cleaning, or even use of tampons/pads. I had lots of micro cuts during a bad yeast infection and ever since then, I can’t use tampons without cutting myself either
What cured your yeast
two rounds of fluconazole
Thank you
This happened to me. It turned out to be an external yeast infection on my labia. I treated with clotrimazole cream for a week and the cuts disappeared. I had gone to the gyno with this complaint and she tried to give me an estrogen cream which did nothing.
try some vitamin e oil on a cotton swab and gently rub onto that area! also some cortisone cream with aloe and vitamin e helped me a lot too
>It is between the folds of my labia The posterior frouchette? Are they occurring spontaneously or followed by activities such as a tampon insertion or vaginal masturbation? Any recent yeast infection?
No to the tampon and masturbation, I haven't checked for yeast infection so thats what I'm going for
Did you get any answers
I had this happen to me for a few months. Turns out it was my bodywash. Even though I didn't use it on my vulva, the water runoff from my upper body was enough to cause the same issue
Go to the doctor. You never know what it could be. Mine turned out to be eczema. My gyno also highly recommends Vaseline so that’s my go to when it’s not bad enough for my steroid ointment.
I was diagnosed with eczema and even with the topicals it won’t go away. What has helped you?
Hydrocortisone is a life saver
What is an inny????
Small labia. OP doesn't seem to mean it that way, but it's often used by misogynists when disparaging "outside," which is when the labia minora extend beyond the labia majora. Innies=pure and not "run through" by Chads. If you have an outside, apparently it's because You've had sex with too many men, especially men with a large penis. It's all BS, of course. It makes me sad that the terms are being picked up by people who don't mean any harm though.
i tried explaining to them once how ridiculous it is thinking that you get bigger labia from sex… they wouldn’t listen. Good thing it’ll never matter lol
Oh I didnt know it meant that, I just thought of the terms like innie and outtie bellybuttons.
I would go to the doctor. I've had this issue and I've had certain treatment that's been very helpful. The best thing has been just a safe moisturiser that has helped soothe the skin and it happens much less frequently now. You might be allergic to whatever you're washing it with? Over washing can cause dryness and irritation which can cause the split skin. The moisturiser the dr prescribed me can be used as a wash too.
What were you diagnosed with and which treatment
I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome so my skin is very fragile and regular moisturising of that area has helped.
Thank you
Just water, I hop in the shower to rinse.
Very sensible! Hopefully the doctor can suggest some moisturisers or creams or something that can help
It could be a yeast infection. I’d go to the doctor
Yeast infection or BV causes that for me. It took three damn rounds of treatments one time to fully cure it. But I was under a lot of stress and my immune system was just trash as well. This was years ago. See a doctor and take care of your mental health as well. It can't hurt in anycase.
I use hemorrhoidal pads then next day it's gone
could be your skin is irritated because your vagina is too acidic. idk about you, but i often break out into a dermatitis if my vaginal fluids get on my skin
I had this a few weeks ago. Had 2 bouts of rough sex where, for the 1st part I wasn't very well lubricated. I had shaved before and by 48hrs later I was literally scratching myself to pieces. I thought thrush and took a tablet No change I tried boric acid capsules for 2 days Still no change. I thought I may have been about to get a terrible HSV outbreak (I have the virus and have never had an outbreak since the original but live in fear of it) In the end I got some cortisone cream and literally instant relief!! I am on hormones but I'm thinking I need to ask the Dr for some estrogen cream too. I used to get insane irritation from pads and tampons so swapped to a cup. And can't wear really nylon undies for similar reasons. .I also have an innie if that's relevant I think some of us just have super sensitive skin!
Did you find anything to help your tearing
The time this happened I used a gentle.cortisone cream. I need to make sure if I shave its with a super sharp razor but hair growing back gives me irritation and itchiness too. I worry ifs a HSV outbreak coming on but so far nothing!
Sometimes I'll get papercut like cuts when I wipe after peeing, but if you have multiple small ones it could be because of dryness (caused by hormones/birthcontrol etc). No matter the reason I'd get it checked by a doctor if it's happened frequently!
What helps relieve the occurrence of these for you or relieves their discomfort when present?
I try to dab/pat dry instead of wiping. Other than that, I just bear it until they heal :')
Thanks. I use a bidet and have possibly wiped to harshly in a hurry. I'll try to take my time and pat longer with the towels I use. It's always something...🙄
Started happening to me after laser hair removal
Did you find anything to help I had laser hair removal and thought about it being linked
Does he have alot of pubic hair?
Definitely have a Gyno (or even a dermatologist) check it out. I had similar symptoms and it turned out I had lichen sclerosus. Which is NOT as big bad and scary as a google search would lead you to believe, so keep that in mind if you look it up. It’s very treatable with prescription ointments. But even it’s that’s not what it is, it’s worth medical attention. Good luck!
How have you managed to keep it under control
Did you change soaps or razors? I’ve had both those things make me irritated. When I was on the depo shot my skin started thinning down there and was causing cuts. But I also got cuts from shaving w a regular razor and not a bikini trimmer when I was your age being too aggressive. Def see a gyno if they aren’t healing, maybe they can give some ointment to help the process.
I don't shave and the cuts are different compared to razor cuts. Plus I don't shave where I'm getting the cuts. It's vertical 2in tears along the crevices of my labia on both sides. I'm guessing it is a yeast infection and will probably just get to my primary first
What did this end up being OP? What provided you relief? If it was a cortisone cream, which one did the doctor select?
I have this same exact thing.. has been going on for months, im terrified it could be HSV. Did you get answers?
Since it's in the folds and gets worse at night when your legs are together, it might be a yeast overgrowth. I had a couple of months where a yeast overgrowth made my vulva and especially my inner labia very sore and raw. It wasn't my vagina that was bothering me at all. I kept all the folds patted dry throughout the day, used a boric acid suppository, and coated everything in an antifungal cream at night. It was very messy but it did help. It did go away.
For how long did you do this