When a woman receives a diagnosis of vulvar lichen sclerosus, it is natural for her to wonder if she can do anything more than use the corticosteroid prescribed by her specialist. Diet, vitamins, omega-3, antioxidants, supplements… The information available online is vast. And, often, so are the promises.
Therefore, it is important to start with a very simple idea: discussing dietary supplements and lichen sclerosus does not mean discussing an alternative treatment to corticosteroids. They operate on different levels.
The short answer: high-potency topical corticosteroids remain the first-line medical treatment for vulvar lichen sclerosus. Currently, there is no clinical evidence to support that a dietary supplement can replace them or treat VLS on its own. However, there are nutrients with recognized functions in the normal maintenance of skin, mucous membranes, collagen, protection against oxidative damage, and the immune system.
Dietary Supplements and Lichen Sclerosus: What Do We Really Know?
Vulvar lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory disease. This requires separating two concepts that are sometimes conflated: treating the disease and caring for the body of a person living with it.
The most solid evidence continues to support medical treatment. The 2025 update on regenerative management of lichen sclerosus published by the ISAPS Patient Safety Committee maintains high-potency topical corticosteroids, such as 0.05% clobetasol propionate, as the first line for controlling inflammation and itching. The recommendation receives a level 1b evidence and a strong recommendation.
This matters because the expression “beyond corticosteroids” can be interpreted in two ways. One would be looking for something to replace them. That interpretation is not backed by evidence. Another, much more reasonable, is to ask ourselves what other aspects of the patient’s general care can accompany the medical treatment without competing with it.
We already explained in our article on diet and lichen sclerosus that there is currently no “diet for lichen” supported by solid clinical evidence. The same caution is required when we talk about supplements.
A fundamental distinction: just because a nutrient participates in the normal functioning of the skin does not mean that nutrient has been proven to treat a skin disease.
So, what role can nutrition play?
The skin is a living tissue. To renew itself and maintain its functions, it needs energy, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Mucous membranes also depend on numerous metabolic processes.
That is why it makes sense to look after one’s nutritional status. But the key word here is normal: we are talking about nutrients that contribute to the body’s normal physiological functioning, not substances capable of controlling the activity of lichen sclerosus on their own.
The European Union authorizes certain health claims for various micronutrients. Among those of particular interest for skin and mucous membranes are the following:
- Biotin, niacin, and riboflavin: contribute to the maintenance of normal skin and mucous membranes.
- Zinc: contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.
- Vitamin C: contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the skin.
- Vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin, zinc, and selenium: contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative damage.
- Vitamin C, zinc, and selenium: contribute to the normal function of the immune system.
These are relevant statements, but we should not turn them into something they do not say. They do not mean that these nutrients reduce a VLS flare-up, repair a synechia, prevent a fissure, or allow for corticosteroid withdrawal.
And what about omega-7, sea buckthorn, and pomegranate?
Here we must be even more careful. They are interesting ingredients from a nutritional point of view and there are scientific publications on their components, but that is not equivalent to having clinical trials that demonstrate efficacy against vulvar lichen sclerosus.
Sea buckthorn oil stands out for its lipid profile and for being an unusual plant source of palmitoleic acid or omega-7. Pomegranate, for its part, contains various phenolic compounds and can be standardized for its ellagic acid content.
The honest conclusion is simple: we can talk about its composition; we must not turn that composition into a therapeutic promise against VLS.
In medicine, the fact that a mechanism is biologically interesting does not prove that a product changes the course of a disease. To prove it, clinical studies are needed.
Dr. Patricia Gutiérrez Ontalvilla
Dermnix Vitacell: what it contains and why we are talking about it here
Dermnix Vitacell is a dietary supplement, not a medicine. Its formula was designed precisely from that boundary: to provide nutrients related to the normal functions of the skin, mucous membranes, collagen, antioxidant protection, and the immune system, without presenting it as a treatment for lichen sclerosus.
The daily regimen is divided into two capsules.
- In the morning: 1,000 mg of sea buckthorn oil, standardized to provide 250 mg of palmitoleic acid (omega-7), along with 12 mg of vitamin E, equivalent to 100% of the nutrient reference value.
- In the evening: 300 mg of pomegranate extract, with 120 mg of ellagic acid, plus vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, biotin, zinc, and selenium.
Vitamins C and E, niacin, riboflavin, biotin, zinc, and selenium are present in amounts equivalent to 100% of their nutrient reference values, except for zinc, which provides 131%.
This allows for claims regarding the normal functions associated with those nutrients. It does not allow for the claim that Vitacell treats lichen sclerosus.
If you want to check the amounts, ingredients, and full regimen, you can view the full Dermnix Vitacell data sheet.
What are you really buying when you choose a supplement?
More than a long list of ingredients, check the quantities, the form in which they are presented, and, above all, what claims are truly supported. Dermnix Vitacell publishes its complete composition for your verification.
Beyond corticosteroids does not mean instead of corticosteroids
This is probably the most important idea in the entire article.
A comprehensive approach may include prescribed medical treatment, regular follow-up, daily skin care, healthy habits, and adequate nutrition. In certain patients, other medical or regenerative options may also be considered depending on the disease state, always on an individualized basis.
But each tool has a different function.
If you suffer from VLS, do not change or discontinue your prescribed treatment because you have started taking a dietary supplement. And if new fissures, erosions, pain, bleeding, anatomical changes, or lesions different from the usual ones appear, a medical evaluation is necessary.
You can consult our guide on vulvar lichen sclerosus to learn more about the different management and treatment options. If you are concerned about the use of corticosteroids, our article on corticophobia in vulvar lichen sclerosus may also help you.
References and Sources
- Gutiérrez-Ontalvilla P, Benito-Ruiz J, Cervantes A. State of the Art for Regenerative Management of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 2025. DOI: 10.1007/s00266-025-05459-7.
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 on authorized health claims made on foods.
- Diet and vulvar lichen sclerosus. Liquenia.
- Skin and mucous membranes in menopause: what changes and how to care for them. Dermnix.
- Dermnix Vitacell: composition and nutritional information. Dermnix.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. High-potency topical corticosteroids remain the first-line medical treatment for vulvar lichen sclerosus. A dietary supplement can provide certain nutrients, but there is no clinical evidence that allows it to be used as a substitute for the treatment prescribed by your specialist.
Based on the sources currently reviewed, there is insufficient clinical evidence to state that a specific oral supplement treats or modifies vulvar lichen sclerosus. However, there are nutrients with recognized functions in the normal maintenance of skin, mucous membranes, or the immune system, which is a different claim.
Biotin, niacin, and riboflavin contribute to the normal maintenance of skin and mucous membranes; zinc contributes to the normal maintenance of skin, and vitamin C to the normal formation of collagen for its function. Vitacell also contains vitamin E, selenium, omega-7, and pomegranate extract.
No. Dermnix Vitacell is a dietary supplement and not a medicine. It is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent lichen sclerosus. Its formulation provides nutrients related to normal physiological functions and should be understood as part of nutritional care, never as a substitute for medical treatment.
If you are following any pharmacological treatment, the recommendation for Dermnix Vitacell is to consult your doctor or pharmacist beforehand. Do not modify the regimen for clobetasol or any other medication because you have started taking a dietary supplement.
Remember: a balanced diet is the primary source of nutrients. Dietary supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, a healthy lifestyle, medical follow-up, or the treatment of lichen sclerosus.
By Dr. Patricia Gutiérrez Ontalvilla, MD, PhD. Plastic surgeon, researcher in vulvar lichen sclerosus, and creator of Protocolo Liquenia®.
Transparency statement: Dr. Gutiérrez Ontalvilla is also the scientific director of Dermnix and formulator of Dermnix Vitacell, the product mentioned in this article.
If you would like to know more about the scientific career of the author of this article and her publications on vulvar lichen sclerosus, you can visit the website of Dr. Patricia Gutiérrez Ontalvilla.
