Vaginal dryness can be caused by various factors, including menopause, tight clothing, scented soap, poor diet, and autoimmune conditions. Infections, skin conditions, and allergic reactions can also lead to dry vaginal skin.
Most women will experience dry vaginal skin at some point in their lives and usually the causes are fairly mild and easy to treat. These causes can range from tight fitting clothes to the use of scented soap. Sometimes vaginal dryness can have a deeper cause, such as hormonal imbalances or vaginal infections.
Menopause is one of the most common causes of dry vaginal skin. During the childbearing years, the mucous membranes in the vagina usually create a fluid to help lubricate the vaginal lining. The creation of this fluid is encouraged by the hormone estrogen. During menopause, estrogen levels typically decrease, which can cause the skin in the vagina to feel dry and tender.
Certain lifestyle choices can also be responsible for dry vaginal skin. For example, tight-fitting clothing or materials that don’t allow for an adequate amount of airflow can cause irritation of the vagina, which can lead to dry skin. Soaps and body cleansers with a lot of perfume, chemicals or oils, as well as some feminine hygiene products, can also cause dry skin. Poor diet, prescription drugs, and emotional stress can lead to a decline in certain hormones, which in turn can also cause the skin of the vagina to lose moisture.
While most causes of vaginal dry skin are harmless enough, others can be more concerning. Some autoimmune conditions, such as Sjogren’s syndrome and lichen sclerosis, can affect the moisture content of the genital region. Sjogren’s syndrome causes an increase in antibodies in the blood, which can act against certain tissues in the body. In some cases, this can cause inflammation of the lining of the vagina, which can lead to irritation and dryness. Lichen sclerosis causes dry, scaly patches to form on the vulva and anus, although these patches can develop in other places as well.
Dry vaginal skin can also be a symptom of some infections, skin conditions, or allergic reactions. Bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections can serve to increase vaginal dryness in the outer areas of the skin, mainly because these areas often come into contact with irritating, infected secretions. Some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as the herpes simplex virus and genital warts, can also reduce vaginal wetness. Additionally, vaginal dryness may be a physiological response to contact dermatitis and genital psoriasis.
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