Hi everybody! For nearly the past six months I’ve been having horrible vulva ithching that comes and goes. At first we thought it was a yeast infection, we tried Monistad and that helped but as soon i was done and off of it the itching came back. There’s also white vaginal discharge and now it’s gotten to a point where i have pain when urinating and my butt crack has started to itch. I went to obgyn and she prescribed Metronodazole but again it helped but when i got off of it the itching and everything came back. I’m still a virgin but have given oral once about six-seven months ago. Please need your help before i have panic attack.
My Dear, this problem is not a rare one. And can be seen often.
here is a very helpful topic that I hope it makes you understand your stuation.
Anal itching (itchy bottom)An itchy bottom may be just an annoyance, or may be so troublesome that it dominates your life. It is usually made worse by warmth, and is often most troublesome in bed. The skin around the anus easily becomes irritated and inflamed. This is because it is difficult to keep the area around the anus clean and dry; the skin is crinkly and traps tiny faecal particles. It is also sweaty and airless, and it may be moist from an anal or vaginal discharge. When it becomes irritated, scratching is a natural reaction, but this damages the skin further – the itch/scratch cycle. Ointments and creams can cause further problems by keeping the area damp.
Although it is very unpleasant, anal itching seldom means anything serious. If you have pain as well as itching, look at the section on anal pain.
Anal itching can occur at any time of life, but seems to be most common between 30 and 50 years of age. It is four times more common in men than in women.
Causes of anal itchingWashing too much or not enough. Poor hygiene can be responsible for anal itching, but so can excessive cleaning, especially if you use harsh soaps or a brush.
Leakage of faeces can lead to itching around the anus, because prolonged contact with substances in the faeces causes irritation of the skin (Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 2008;90:457-63). About half of all people with anal itching tend to have loose faeces. Look at the section on faecal incontinence for more information.
Anal conditions (particularly piles) can have itching as one of their symptoms, partly because of the slimey discharge they produce. Look at our section on piles for more information.
Pre-moistened toilet tissues (wet-wipes), bought from chemists and supermarkets, can sometimes cause anal itching. The reason is probably perfume, alcohol or a preservative in the wipes.
Sensitivities and allergies to other chemicals, such as bubble baths and perfumed soaps, may be responsible.
Ointments and creams are notorious causes of anal itching. If you have itching, it is a natural reaction to buy an anaesthetic gel for the anal area. Most of these are labelled ‘for haemorrhoids’ and contain lignocaine, tetracaine, cinchocaine, pramocaine or benzocaine with other ingredients. At first they help, but then the itching may return because you have become sensitive to one of the ingredients in the cream or ointment and they are keeping the area moist. Do not use them for more than 1 week.
Skin conditions, such as psoriasis or eczema, or a condition called lichen sclerosis, can affect the skin around the anus and cause itching.
Fungal infections, similar to thrush or athlete’s foot, are another common cause. Fungi love warm, damp and damaged skin, so if you have an itchy anus for any reason and then damage the skin by scratching, fungi can take hold and make it worse.
Sexually transmitted and other infections are what many people worry about, but are not usually the reason.
Genital warts (vulva or penis), caused by papillomavirus, thrive in warm, moist conditions such as the skin near the anus and can be very itchy.
Genital herpes (caused by herpes virus) can also infect the anus, and causes itching just before the sores appear and also during the healing stage.Both these viruses are easily transferred to the anal skin on the fingers, and can therefore occur around the anus in anyone. The anus may be the only site of infection; the fact that you do not have genital warts or herpes elsewhere does not rule them out. Various bacteria (such as some staphylococci or streptococci) can cause anal itching; the skin will be red and inflamed, and needs antibiotic treatment.
Threadworms (pinworms) are tiny worms, about 13 mm long, which live in the lower part of the bowel. They are very common – an estimated 40 million cases in the USA alone. The female worms creep out of the anus at night – how they know it is night, and why they come out only at night, is a mystery. They lay thousands of eggs on the skin of the anus, causing intense itching at night. When you scratch, the eggs lodge under your fingernails, and it is easy to transfer them to your mouth and reinfect your gut by swallowing the eggs. If several people in the family have anal itching, threadworms might be the cause.
Certain foods can irritate the anus during defecation. Beer and curry are obvious examples. Some people find that citrus fruits, grapes, tomatoes, coffee or tea can cause problems.
Tight trousers or underwear, especially synthetic and elasticated fabrics, retain heat and sweat, which worsens itching.
Anxiety tends to make the brain hyper-alert to body feelings that we may otherwise be able to ignore. If you are going through an anxious period, a symptom such as itching can become magnified.
Pleasure. It is worth asking yourself whether you are deriving a perverse, almost erotic, pain/pleasure from scratching the itchy area, which is keeping the irritation going.
How you can help yourself
Wash the anal area after you have had your bowels open, but not more than three times in a day, using just water or an unperfumed soap. Some doctors recommend using aqueous cream (available from pharmacies) as a cleanser. Apply the cream, massage it gently over the area and then rinse off. If you are somewhere where you cannot wash, clean the area with wet tissues (but not with pre-moistened wipes containing perfume, alcohol or other irritants). If you use shower gel to wash your body, make sure you rinse it off very thoroughly so that none remains between the buttocks. It is best to wash in a squatting position using a shower head or bidet, so that any faecal material between the buttocks is washed away.
Dab gently with a soft towel to dry – do not rub. If drying is difficult, use a hairdryer on cool setting.
Do not put any disinfectant on the skin or in the bath water – this can irritate the skin. Do not use bubble bath – the perfume can irritate. Instead, put a handful of kitchen salt in your bath.
Keep a cotton-wool ball, dusted with powder, against the anus, inside your underpants or knickers. Use baby powder (not perfumed talcum powder) to dust it. Change it each time you wash.
Wear loose cotton underwear. Avoid tights and elastic ‘shapewear’ underwear, because they encourage sweating and moistness in the anal area. Avoid anything that keeps the buttocks close together.
Do not use biological (enzyme) washing powders for your underwear, or perfumed fabric softeners. Instead, use a detergent labelled ‘for sensitive skin’.
Do not scratch. If you scratch, you damage the skin more and then you itch more. If you feel you really must scratch, try pinching the skin near the anus between your thumb and forefinger through your clothing; this is less damaging than actual scratching. People often scratch at night and do not realize they are doing so. If you think you might be scratching at night, talk to your doctor about taking an antihistamine, keep your fingernails short, wear cotton gloves at night for a while and ask your doctor to check for threadworms.
Do not use any greasy creams (such as Vaseline) on the area. Greasy creams keep the skin soggy and make the problem worse. Zinc oxide cream (from pharmacies) can be soothing if the skin has been damaged by scratching.
Be very cautious about anaesthetic creams or ointments. Sometimes they can help by relieving the itch/scratch cycle, but use them only for a short period (about a week).
Similarly, be very cautious about steroid creams. In the UK, it is possible to buy weak steroid cream (containing hydrocortisone 1% or less) from pharmacies. In the short-term, the steroid reduces inflammation and therefore relieves itching but, in the long-term, it can make the skin thinner and worsen the problem. Resist the temptation to keep on using a steroid cream. Use it for just 1 week, then throw the tube away.
Try witch hazel – an old-fashioned remedy available from pharmacies. Dab it on twice a day, but stop immediately if it seems to be making the problem worse instead of better.
Dr James Le Fanu has a column in the Daily Telegraphthat acts as a forum for readers’ solutions to health problems. Readers have reported that the inside of a banana skin can relieve itchy skin, including anal itching.
Feel around the anus for lumps. This may not be easy, because the skin around the anus is normally puckered. A lump might be a wart, a pile or a skin tag alongside ananal fissure.
Avoid foods that cause excessive flatulence (wind).
And you can visit a doctor if it is very severe. There are a medical treatment to this that is effective.
Get well soon, my dear.
Hi Julie, I want to tell you not to panic and you are not alone. I never had skin itching issues until I was in my 30's and like you I itched in those private area's and everywhere. The itching was horrid torment and I put up with this
for a long time as I had gone to my Doctor who referred me to a Dermatologist. I went to him and to get an appointment was like 2 months. I was given cream and told not to itch the area because it would be like a vicious cycle; however the cream he gave me didn't work and I could not refrain from itching and it was pure hell. I fortunately knew a woman at work and she gave me the name of a renowned Dermatologist and I made an appointment and got in fast and I told the new Dermatologist of the pure itching hell I had been through and how it took 2 months to get an appointment with the other so I was referred to him by a friend and he was wonderful and competent and Professional and Dr. Mark Goldgeier was compassionate and said to me " we're going to get you better don't worry we're going to get you better and he started from a physical of my skin and my body and he knew of my anus and vulva itching that was horrid and he started by taking a sample and biopsied it and it came back that I had chronic dermatitis and he gave me all the right medicines and ointments. I had to follow up with him and the condition was under control and it would sometimes flare up. I had a stressful job and I had been treated by the Doctor for a long period of time. I left the job and for a long long long time the dermatitis went away and it was just gone. I know stress can cause it and other things but my suggestion is to find the best Dermatologist you can find and tell him every thing you have written here. Get a Doctor that won't make you wait
a long time for an appointment as I used to get in fast a day or 2 days I'd get in if I needed to see him. I wish you the best and there is hope for this itching skin and you need the right doctor and that is a skin Doctor a Dermatologist and if you are not getting results then get another one until you find the Doctor that helps you because it's not fun. You should check and research the Doctors where you live and find the best Doctor you can find.
I really think she should go see a very good Dermatologist who can properly diagnose her condition. Why wait just find a good Dermatologist and make an appointment. He or she will know best how to treat your skin.