LICHEN SCLEROSUS - THERE IS HOPE

At 39 our founder, Laura Leclair, was diagnosed with a life changing autoimmune skin disease, Lichen Sclerosus, which is a very personal, miserable condition. Never heard of it? No surprise. It is considered a rare disease, and if someone you know has it, they likely don't talk about it openly. This is her story.

To date there is no known cause for the disease, no known cure, and it is thought to be irreversible. As lichen sclerosus progresses it causes severe itching, the affected skin to have white patches which continue to get larger as the disease progresses, the skin begins to either thin or become thickened, and at more progressive stages parts of the skin can begin to close in on itself and fuse together as well as become atrophied. Sounds great doesn't it? The pictures you see online of the progressed disease are terrifying. By the time she realized something was really wrong, she already had some fairly severe symptoms. By the way, did we mention that once the symptoms appear, the damage it causes is thought to be irreversible? Yes. Irreversible. You can only imagine all of the ways that this disease can affect you. It’s painful, embarrassing, irreversible, and has a very emotional side to the disease.

Treatment for the condition generally consists of topical steroid creams, hormone creams, and other creams depending on the severity, symptoms, and location of the condition. As normal protocol, the doctor recommended a treatment of topical steroid and hormone creams. She was hesitant because of the side effects of prolonged use of both, however, didn't know what else to do. After researching the disease, she discovered there were no other treatments that seemed to really be effective. After months of use of the prescription topical creams, her condition and symptoms did nothing but worsen. She was very uncomfortable, and in pain all of the time. Aside from not helping, months of use of the steroid cream was causing the side effects she had been concerned about. The skin was beginning to thin to the point that it would tear, split, and bleed easily.

She was at her wits end. No known cure, irreversible very uncomfortable symptoms, and no treatment the doctor could recommend that seemed to work. What should she do?! She delved in to research once again, determined to find a solution that worked. As she was an avid user of natural products, especially essential oils, she decided to turn to essential oils and see if they would help. She had nothing to lose right?! Nothing else was working. After months of research and trials she developed a blend of essential oils that would target the symptoms.  Although she had been using essential oils for many things for her family for years, using them for this condition still seemed a little out there to her.

One month prior to a scheduled follow up appointment with the doctor she quit using the prescribed topical creams, and began her own regimen of natural and essential oils. Yeah I know, crazy. But again, what did she have to lose? She hoped that this blend would MAYBE help. If nothing else, MAYBE give her just a little relief. 

After four weeks of daily use, it seemed that the affected area was looking better, and it certainly was feeling better. But the real test would be what the doctor would have to say. During the appointment she informed the doctor that she had stopped the use of the prescribed medications and began a natural and essential oil regimen. She just knew the doctor would think she was crazy. Much to her surprise she didn't. She personally uses them herself for occasional headaches and respiratory support for her family. But now for the real test. The examination of the affected area. The doctor was literally shocked. She told her that the area that had turned white had shrunk, was now almost no longer white, and had begun to turn back to a normal pink color. The skin that had become very thick was beginning to normalize. And most importantly, the skin that had begun to close in and fuse, well it was beginning to reverse and "unfuse" itself. While that is what it had appeared to her, it was a completely different thing altogether to hear the doctor say it! She was amazed at the outcome in just one month of usage.

So where did this leave her? On the visit note the doctor actually noted to "continue with current essential oil regimen". Yes. Seriously. She actually put that in the medical file. If you know much about doctors, you know that typically they stick to proven, medical based treatments and recommendations. After the doctor walked out of the room, she heard the nurses whispering and asking about it. The doctor enthusiastically replied "Hey, if it works, it works!" Score one for natural options!

To her, this was huge! Not only had she found a natural way to help herself deal with a very uncomfortable disease, but it was actually reversing symptoms that are thought to be irreversible! And, by finding natural means of treating the disease, she was now able to avoid all of the dreaded side effects of the typically recommended protocol. She left the doctors office elated for many reasons. Most of all, she now had hope. Hope that a disease that she was told would only continue to worsen, was now getting better. Hope that there is validity (in her experience) to using natural and essential oil products. Hope that she might be able to give someone else in the same shoes hope. And if you have been in these shoes, you know that hope is not something most people with this disease have.

She firmly believes that there is a place for both western medicine, and natural treatments. But when possible, she prefers to turn to natural options. She is thrilled to have found a natural option for dealing with the symptoms of Lichen Sclerosus.

After writing a blog post about the condition and the treatment she had discovered, she had an overwhelming response to the post. It was at that point that she realized how many people were miserable and in need of a better solution. It lit a fire and passion to bring this product to others in need. And that's how LifeWorks Skin Essentials was born.