Vulva Introduction

Why Vulvar Disease?

The vulva is an area of the body that is not well understood either by women or by many Healthcare Professionals. Women themselves know little to nothing about their genital area. The vulva is hidden down there, below layers of clothing and myth, surrounded by unfortunate taboos. Most women have no anatomical education and far too frequently express the feeling that the vulva is an unpleasant damp area of their anatomy they would like to avoid.

They mistakenly refer to their vulva as their vagina. When they have genital cutaneous problems, they find it hard to deal with a problem in an unfamiliar area that they cannot see and often do not want to touch. It is not uncommon for them to try to wash away the problem with vigorous cleansing, and that causes injury.

To complicate matters further, medical caregivers labor under the difficulty of having had little to no education about the area. Thus, caregivers, simply through lack of education, do not recognize common conditions that affect the area.

This area of the body should not be neglected. This series of lectures will cover the appearance of the normal vulva and the major vulvar dermatoses.