The use of a modern moisturizing agent in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2026.305

Gafarova E.A.
Kazan State Medical Academy – a branch of the Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Kazan, Russia

Objective. To investigate the prevalence of viral infections (HPV, HSV-1/2, CMV, EBV) in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis, and to evaluate the efficacy of the topical gel "Papilocare" in alleviating the symptoms of the condition.
Materials and methods. The observational study included 34 women with VLS. The extent and activity of the condition were assessed using the LS-S and LS-A indices, while pruritus and dyspareunia were evaluated on a 4-point symptom scale. All participants underwent a vulvar skin biopsy for the IHC detection of viral antigens (HPV, HSV-1/2, CMV, and EBV) and used the gel "Papilocare" for 6 months.
Results. The study demonstrated that 70% of all patients with cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIL) had a history of persistent herpes virus and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. IHC analysis of biopsy samples revealed the presence of at least one virus in 76.5% of the women (HPV – 41.2%, HSV-2 – 47.1%, CMV – 20.6%, HSV-1 – 17.6%, EBV – 2.9%), with 2–4 viruses detected simultaneously in 20.5% of cases. Following the topical application of the gel "Papilocare," a positive trend in lesion severity indices was observed in 94.1% of patients by the 3rd month, and this improvement was sustained through the end of the 6-month treatment period.
Conclusion. Viruses of the herpes group and HPV are detected using immunohistochemistry in the affected vulvar skin in 76.5% of patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus. The role of each of these viruses in the pathogenesis of VLS is still to be investigated.
The multicomponent gel "Papilocare" has demonstrated efficacy, providing rapid relief from subjective symptoms and improving objective indicators of skin condition in the majority of patients with HPV-related lesions.

Conflicts of interest. The author declares no conflicts of interest.
Funding. The study had no sponsorship support.
Ethical Approval. The study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Kazan State Medical Academy (Protocol No. 1/05 of 21.05.2026).
Acknowledgment. We express our gratitude to Rodion A. Dzamukov, PhD, pathologist at the Archak Center for Morphological Research (Kazan), for his assistance in conducting the immunohistochemical analysis.
Generative Artificial Intelligence. No generative artificial intelligence technologies were used for the creation of this article.
Patient Consent for Publication. The patients provided informed consent for the publication of their data and associated images.
Authors' Data Sharing Statement. The data supporting the findings of this study are available on request from the author.
For citation: Gafarova E.A. The use of a modern moisturizing agent in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2026; (10): 120-128 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2026.305

lichen sclerosus

vulvar leukoplakia

human papillomavirus

herpes simplex virus

cytomegalovirus

Epstein-Barr virus

alternative treatment method for lichen sclerosus

immunohistochemical method

Full text (in Russian)

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Received 10.09.2026

Accepted 23.10.2026

Elena A. Gafarova, PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kazan State Medical Academy – branch of the Russian Medical Academy
of Continuous Professional Education, Ministry of Health of Russia, 420012, Russia, Kazan, Mushtary str., 11, +7(917)287-44-28, eagafarova1976@mail.ru,
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9637-6568

The use of a modern moisturizing agent in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus

Gafarova E.A.

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