Colored Lichen During Pregnancy - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Colored lichen during pregnancy

Colored lichen is a fungal disease that has a long duration. It is manifested by skin rashes. On the body of a sick person, spots appear that can have a different color and size. The inflammatory process is absent.

Colored lichen got its name due to the fact that spots can have a wide variety of shades: pink, brown, yellow. Some rashes stand out brightly on the skin, and some remain subtle.

A pregnant woman can get colorectitis. The disease is not dangerous for the fetus, since it has no effect on it. However, this does not mean that a fungal infection should be ignored. First of all, a woman must make sure that she has colorectal lichen, not any other form of this disease. The nature of the rash can only be determined by the doctor. However, a woman must know the causes of its occurrence and the main manifestations of the disease.

Content:

• Causes of lichen coloration during pregnancy
• Symptoms of lichen coloration in pregnant women
• Diagnostics
• Treatment of lichen coloration in pregnant women
• Prevention of lichen coloration in pregnant women

Causes of lichen coloration during pregnancy

Colorectal lichen is a dermatological disease caused by fungal microorganisms - Malassezia furfur, Pityrpsporum orbiculare and Pityrpsporum ovale. They settle in the stratum corneum of the epidermis and, in the presence of favorable factors, begin to multiply. The fact is that a woman could have been infected with fungi long before the onset of pregnancy, but did not know about it, since these microorganisms belong to conditionally pathogenic flora. The transmission of the fungus occurs with prolonged and close contact of a healthy person with an infected patient. A potential danger in terms of infection is the use of personal hygiene items (washcloths, towels, items of clothing, etc.) on which there are mycotic microorganisms.

Fungi show their activity only when the immune system is weakened. This is exactly what is observed in most pregnant women.

The following factors can also cause the appearance of spots of colored lichen on the skin:

• Increased sweating. Hyperhidrosis is a common problem that occurs during pregnancy. The reason for this is hormonal changes in the body. The fungi that cause the development of lichen thrive in a humid environment. Therefore, even with the observance of the rules of hygiene, the disease can develop in pregnant women.
• Endocrine Disorders.
• Changes in the chemical composition of sweat secreted. Sweat during pregnancy can change its acidity to become more alkaline. For fungal microorganisms, this is a beneficial breeding ground.
• Vegeto-vascular dystonia.
• Hormonal surges.
• Power supply errors.
• Avitaminosis.
• The use of gels and soaps with an antibacterial component for skin care.

In addition, a pregnant woman must definitely donate blood for glucose determination and be tested for tuberculosis. The fact is that lichen coloration can be a marker of these diseases. However, during pregnancy, the causes of its occurrence are most often not so global, but boil down only to a weakening of the immune system.

Also, one should not exclude a woman's genetic predisposition to the development of dermatomycosis. If her blood relatives suffer from lichen coloration, then it is likely that for the first time he will manifest himself precisely during the carrying of a child.

Symptoms of lichen coloration in pregnant women

Symptoms of tartar lichen in pregnant women are no different from the symptoms of a similar disease in women who are not expecting a child. However, during gestation, you should be especially attentive to any skin rashes, as it is possible to mistake the manifestations of lichen for age spots. Therefore, if any rashes appear, they must be reported to the doctor.

So, the symptoms of tartar lichen during pregnancy will be as follows:

• First, a small yellowish spot appears near the mouth of the hair follicle. It gradually increases in size. Fungi disrupt the functioning of melanocytes (these are the cells that produce the pigment responsible for skin color). Against the background of the death of melanocytes, the skin becomes discolored. That is why lichen coloration is accompanied by the appearance of skin rashes.
• As the disease progresses, the spots become more and more. Their average size is 1 cm, but sometimes even a single spot can be equal to 5 cm in diameter or more
• Spots have the ability to merge with each other, forming the most bizarre shapes. Their borders are uneven.
• The spots do not rise above the surface of the skin, do not swell or hurt.

• The color of the spots can be very diverse: yellow, pink, coffee, brown, brown, etc. Moreover, all these colors can be observed simultaneously on different parts of the body. This characteristic distinguishes tinea versicolor from other varieties of the disease.
• The spots are peeling. This is not very noticeable if you just look at the rash, but if you scrape them, then the skin flakes are easily separated.
• A favorite spot for localization of spots is the back and chest. Less often they appear on the neck, on the sides, on the stomach. They can also be found in natural folds. Symmetry is not typical for lichen spots.
• Most often, rashes do not bother a pregnant woman. Although sometimes they may itch slightly.
• If the skin in the area of the spot begins to become inflamed, then you should think about the addition of a secondary infection.
• Those areas of the skin that previously had lichen spots may stop responding to exposure to sunlight, that is, they do not tan. This phenomenon is called pseudo-leucoderm.
• If the rash appears on the scalp, then the hair will not fall out. However, those areas of the skin on the body that have undergone a fungal infection can lose hair.

Diagnostics

A dermatologist is responsible for diagnosing lichen coloring in pregnant women. Most often, the doctor is able to make the correct diagnosis already at the first examination of the patient. To confirm it, a dermatoscopy of the affected skin area is performed.

Another method for diagnosing the disease is the Balzer iodine test. For this, an iodine solution is applied to the skin and the reaction of the dermis is monitored. Since the skin in the affected areas is looser, it absorbs the solution much better than intact areas of the epidermis. Iodine can be replaced with brilliant green or fucarcinum.

Another diagnostic method for detecting lichen is to determine the presence of Benier's symptom. It is expressed in the fact that scraping the skin from the surface of the spots leads to its severe peeling.

The scraping of the dermis is sent for microscopic examination. In the scales of the skin, elements of the fungus are found, which look like long spaghetti with round inclusions on them. Doctors call the picture seen under the microscope "navy-style macaroni."

Treatment of lichen coloration in pregnant women

After the diagnosis is made, the doctor decides on the appropriateness of therapy. By itself, tinea versicolor does not pose any threat to the life and health of a woman or child. In contrast, medications for therapy can be harmful. Therefore, most experts agree that it is better to refuse to treat lichen coloring with medications.

The woman is advised to calmly carry the child, and then proceed to therapy with antifungal agents. Moreover, in some cases, further treatment may not be required, since the disease will resolve on its own as soon as immunity returns to normal.

However, if a woman insists on treatment, then the following recommendations can be given to her:

• Spend more time in the sun. Ultraviolet rays are harmful to the fungus.
• Apply ointments with a low concentration of the main active ingredients to the skin. So, Lamisil cream 1% is not contraindicated during pregnancy. When used topically, it does not enter the systemic circulation and will not harm the child.
• Taking vitamin complexes for pregnant women. If lichen is provoked by vitamin deficiency, then this measure is advisable.
• You can lubricate the rash with vinegar at a concentration of no more than 9%.
• It is imperative to change the bedding every day for the duration of the treatment, washing it at high temperatures, and then ironing it. The same rule applies to underwear and underwear. The washcloth that the woman used before the first signs of the disease appeared should be thrown away.

As a rule, these activities are enough to get rid of the problem. It should be remembered that lichen develops against the background of a decrease in the body's defenses, so a woman should be more careful about her health, avoid visiting crowded places, and wash her hands more often.

Pregnancy itself is stressful for the body. Do not exacerbate it with external factors. You need to keep calm and peace of mind.

Prevention of lichen coloration in pregnant women

In order to prevent infection with shingles, you need to observe basic hygiene rules: refuse to use other people's towels, do not wear other people's clothes, do not go to saunas and baths during pregnancy.

To strengthen the immune system, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• More outdoor activities.
• Eat properly.
• Exercise for pregnant women.
• Shower more often.

Colorectal lichen during pregnancy is not a cause for panic, but it is a factor that should make a woman alert. You may need to pay more attention to your health, and the disease will go away on its own.

The author of the article: Lapikova Valentina Vladimirovna | Gynecologist, reproductologist

Education: Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology received at the Russian State Medical University of the Federal Agency for Healthcare and Social Development (2010). In 2013 completed postgraduate studies at N. N. N. I. Pirogova.