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Lichen Sclerosus Campaign

“What if everyone gave $5 or less to this cause, it would help tremendously!!" This campaign and the funding would allow me to help over 55 females get treatment for very harsh symptoms of Lichen Sclerosus. It will also allow me to establish a 501 company so I can establish proper fundraising, connect with advanced studies and help everyone who has critical Lichen Sclerosus. 
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Why am I doing this?
Because a very dear friend with this rare skin condition asked me to help in someway. I noticed the extreme pain my friend is in.  So, I thought I would help many.



*****”Embarrassment, emotional trauma, and physical pain are common themes among women with vulval health conditions,  and that’s why I am doing this anonymously for a very good friend.****


What is Lichen Sclerosus:

Lichen Sclerosus is a rare skin condition that usually shows up on your genital or anal areas. But it can also affect your upper arms, torso, and breasts. The condition mostly affects adult women after menopause. But other people can get it, too. Although there’s no exact cure now, there are treatments to manage your symptoms and medical strides being made.

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory, scarring skin condition which can affect any part of the body but in females, most often affects the vulval and the skin around the anus. The exact prevalence and age breakdown of women with the disease is unknown, but many believe it's underestimated as the symptoms and signs can be subtle and misdiagnosed.



Causes:

Diagnosis:
Your doctor may do a physical exam and check on how your skin looks. He may order a biopsy, too. That means he will remove a small piece of your skin and send it to a lab to be viewed under a microscope. This will confirm or rule out the diagnosis.

Physical symptoms:
Chronic itching and soreness of the vulva are the most common physical symptoms of lichen sclerosus, both of which can become worse at night. The skin may become sore if it tears or breaks down. In the genital area, the scar-like process can cause tightening, which can interfere with urination and sexual intercourse. The skin on the vulva has a shiny, porcelain-white appearance which can become raised and thickened. Skin fragility may cause bruising, blistering or erosions.

Psychological symptoms:
The psychological impact of the disease shouldn't be underestimated. Nearly nine in 10 (89%) of those surveyed by the British Association of Dermatologists and the Association for Lichen Sclerosus and Vulval Health about the social, professional and emotional damage of vulval health conditions said their condition had affected their emotional and mental wellbeing; 42% said it had affected their social life, 79% said it had affected personal relationships, and 39% said it had affected their work life.

Complications:
Serious complications can happen, but they’re rare. If it affects the genitals, you might be slightly more likely to develop a type of skin cancer called squamous cell cancer. Women who have it are also at slightly higher risk for vulvar cancer, which is cancer that affects the outer part of the genitals, called the vulva. It can also cause changes to the way your genitals look.
Most women may have chronic, or ongoing, pain in the vulva or a narrowing of the vaginal opening. These complications can make sex difficult.

Treatments:
Although there’s no exact cure for lichen sclerosus at the moment, there are treatments that can help and a very close to a complete cure. If you have it on your genitals, you should get it treated. When left untreated, it can lead to problems with sex or urination and possible cancer.

There are medical treatments being tested and validated. I would like to help my dear friend and other women with this skin condition by helping the receive these treatments and researching and collaborating with experts to find new treatments. If the gofundme initiative goes well I will start a foundation to help all people with this skin disease. One of my kids had eczema pretty bad as a kid, it was terrible to endure but we received an enormous amount help because of treatment and people who knew about the skin condition. Now it’s my turn to help.

Organizer

Rodney Hooks
Organizer
Houston, TX

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