Jessica
(Audio or text only clips) Jessica has seen doctors for both acne and vulvar eczema. She found that healthcare professionals were not as knowledgeable about vulvar eczema and that is more difficult to deal with than acne because it is less common.
Jessica has seen doctors for both acne and vulvar eczema. Jessica’s initial symptoms of vulvar eczema included an itchy vagina and pain during sex. She describes her route to diagnosis with the GP as a process of elimination for all other possibilities including yeast infections, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and bacterial infections. Tests and treatment for these possibilities took a few months and the itching continued. Out of frustration and with support from her mum, Jessica went to a private doctor who had seen vulvar eczema before and was able to give the diagnosis. In terms of treatment, the private doctor prescribed medicated washes, creams, and ointments. The doctor also suggested bringing this prescription up with a GP so that Jessica could get a repeat prescription on the NHS in case of flare ups.
Jessica found that switching doctors can be difficult because it often means convincing a new doctor that the diagnosis is correct and that all other health conditions have been ruled out. She found that although doctors were sympathetic, they were generally not knowledgeable enough of vulvar eczema. Her suggestion to healthcare professionals is to clearly communicate all possible diagnoses and treatment options to the patient. Jessica found that although she told some friends about her eczema, they did not understand the chronic nature of the condition. She explains that her mum’s persistence and support made the diagnosis process easier, but she also had to open up to her mom more about her sex life. Jessica’s main sources of information about vulvar eczema was online, where she read through websites and posts about people’s own experiences. Although she found that vulvar eczema affected mostly older people, there were also some people her age posting online. Jessica suggests that having hope and accepting that everyone’s skin is different may help others get through their experiences with skin conditions.