Vulvar Intraepithelial neoplasia is a skin lesion which occurs on any part of the vulva and is a pre-cancerous disease.  This condition is also known as VIN and is not exactly a cancer. In a lot of women, this pre-cancerous state disappears without any kind of remedy or treatment.

If the changes become serious and severe, then there is a chance that the female may develop cancer after a few years.  What really happens in VIN is that the skin cells of one part of several parts of the vulva change appearance and abnormal.

Symptoms of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia

There are three types of Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia and they are given as follows:

  • The usual kind of VIN-This type of an VIN is associated with HPV or Human papillomavirus and so do all the subtypes of it.
  • Differentiated kind of VIN-This kind of VIN is not associated with HPV.
  • Unclassified kind of VIN-This type of a VIN is rare and is thus not classified into the above categories.

Symptoms and Signs:

The following are some of the ways to identify vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia:

  • In some cases of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, there are no obvious symptoms or signs. Especially when it first develops, there is no real way of identifying it except for looking at the vulva.
  • In due course of time though, the symptoms do tend to develop.  One of the common signs of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia is a persistent itch in the vulva. The itch varies in intensity but generally becomes more severe as time passes.
  • Soreness of the vulva is also a symptom of VIN.
  • Sometimes, those with VIN may also experience a burning sensation or a tingling kind of feeling in the vulva.
  • When a female suffers from Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, she may experience pain while having sex.
  • VIN may cause change in the appearance of the affected part of the vulva.  The area may become red, or even white.
  • Sometimes the affected part of the vulva develops raised area of skin.

Treatment Methods:

The following are some of the major treatment methods of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia:

  • Surgery– the most common treatment is surgery in which the affected area is removed by an operation.
  • Laser ablation-this treatment is used to destroy the affected areas of the vulva.
  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT)-in this treatment, a drug is applied topically or given through an injection into the blood of the affected person. The drug is light sensitive and is taken by the abnormal cells.