Oral Lichen Planus - Symptoms and Treatments

Often, oral lichen planus is erroneously interchanged with lichen planus. In many ways, the two are similar. However, they are two different diseases. Even the symptoms and the overall condition are similar; so are the treatments. As its name suggests, oral lichen planus will mainly occur in the mouth. Lichen planus occurs in two forms. They could have mouth lesions or the lesions can be found on the skin. The mucous membrane of the mouth will be inflamed or it will swell. There are many different forms of these lesions. Often, they would resemble patches of lace. They will be white in color. The lesions are normally found in clusters or clumped together. Chain-like or bead-like patterns are not also unusual in these lesions. In some people, you will find swollen tissues in the mouth. There are some that are slightly pinkish in color while others are completely red. There will also be open sores in the mouth, which will be quite painful. In worse cases, a burning or stinging sensation takes place. Go see a doctor when you notice these symptoms persisting through the passage of time. You may have a problem with multiple lesions and open sores if you do not have them treated immediately. Soon the swollen areas would become even redder and you will experience more pain than you would want. If you yawn or simply talk to others, you would find it to be a difficult task to accomplish. If there is extreme discomfort, you will not be able to concentrate on anything.
Some people have the doubt whether oral lichen planus can be passed from one person to another. No, it is not contagious. A weakening of the immune system of a person can readily result in oral lichen planus. Soon the cells in the mouth might also become attacked after this weakening. The mucous membrane will be highly affected. It is not really clear what exactly brought on this attack. 
It is also usual for people with mouth lesions or oral lichen planus to experience a metallic taste in their mouth. This would last for quite a long period. They will also experience having dry mouth. Swallowing food will become doubly harder. This becomes especially true when the throat also gets affected. It is also common for some people to develop lesions in their esophagus. Bleeding occurs quite rarely. There is no need to worry yourself too much, though, because you can undergo many treatment options and measures. 
Therefore you should make use of a treatment that involves suppression of the immune system. It will both provide pain relief and avoid the development of new lesions. With lichen planus, they could also appear as skin lesions, genital lesions and scalp lesions. You can also find them in the nail regions. Temporary to permanent hair loss is the normal result of lesions appearing on the scalp. Splitting and nail loss are the normal results of lesions appearing on the toe nails and fingernails. You will normally find purple colored bumps in skin lesions. They will also be characterized by flat tops. There will be excessive itching.