LICHEN PLANUS

•  Lichen Planus is a chronic condition that affects the skin, tongue, and oral
  cavity and present in the form of rashes or eruption with the pigmentation of
  the skin.
•  It is a skin rash triggered by the immune system. It occurs when our immune system attacks cells of the skin or mucous membranes. Lichen planus isn’t contagious.

CAUSES

The exact cause is not clear. It can be triggered by:

• Viral infections- Hepatitis C virus infection.
• Allergens- contact with some metals (arsenic, gold), certain kinds of dyes.
•  Drugs- Some medicines taken for heart disease, high blood pressure, or arthritis.
•  Family history
• Stress
•  Immune response against organ transplantation.

  SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

•  Rash- most often on the skin, mouth (inside the cheeks and sides of the tongue),
  private parts (genitals), flexor aspect of forearms, wrists, lower back, lower parts of legs; on the sites exposed to sunlight such as the face, neck, and back of hands. Also on the sites of trauma or injury.
• Itching with purple color, flat-topped shiny bumps.
• White lacy lesions in the mouth with pain and burning sensation.
• Scalp- Bald patches (hair loss with scarring).
• Nails- The nail may darken, thicken, or lift-off of the nail bed; and sometimes thinning and splitting of the nail plate.

COMPLICATIONS

• As lichen planus is precancerous, if untreated it can become cancerous.

INVESTIGATIONS

The diagnosis is mainly clinical, clubbed up with few blood tests to rule out other diseases.

•  Biopsy of skin- for diagnosis and to look for cancer.
• Test for Hepatitis C – If your doctor suspects the underlying cause is an infection.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

• Do exercise or meditation to combat stress.
• Brush your teeth gently if you have a lesion in the mouth.
•  Avoid scratching and apply cool compresses to the rash.
•  Coconut oil- Apply it twice or thrice every day to reduce irritation of the skin.
  Do coconut oil pulling (1 tbsp. of oil in the mouth and move it to and fro) to reduce the pain and burning in the mouth.
• Take an Oatmeal bath (like a scrub) to remove dark skin caused by lichen
  planus.

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

It is a difficult and stubborn disease to treat, but with Homeopathy, its recovery is possible. Homeopathic medicines target the altered immunity of the body and help in the best control of disease without steroids, and it gives symptomatic relief of itching along with delaying the time span between relapses. Homeopathic
treatment is free from side effects.