Vulvar lichen sclerosus is chronic and difficult to treat disorder, which offer is recurrent and leads to multiple complications. The limited efficacy of pharmacologic treatment directed the search for new therapies including use of CO₂ laser. In our study we focused on collagen and elastin gene expression as well as heat shock proteins and p53 expression in two patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus who underwent CO₂ laser therapy. In both patients we observed decreased clinical symptoms observed by an experienced gynecologist as well as significant changes in gene expression before and after laser treatment.
Keywords: CO2 laser; COL1A1; HSPA1A; HSPA1B; collagen; heat shock proteins; vulvar lichen sclerosus.