Laser vs Clobetasol for Lichen Sclerosus

CO2 Non-ablative Laser Versus Topical Clobetasol for Lichen Sclerosus: a Prospective, Open-label, Randomized Trial

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a common autoimmune disease of the genital skin. It affects 1/900 women with an age peak in the sixth decade of life and is manifested by chronic inflammation of the genital, perineal, and perianal areas associated with itching, burning, pain, and soreness. In addition, LS is associated with an increased risk of vulvar cancer.

Treatment options for LS include topical steroids such as clobetasol, immunomodulators such as tacrolimus, and non-ablative laser treatment. Although both treatments are well documented and used in clinical practice, direct comparative studies of the efficacy of topical corticosteroids versus laser treatment in women with LS are rare. For example, a PubMed literature search (search date 2021-03-14; search terms: lichen sclerosus, laser, corticosteroids, steroids, clobetasol, randomized) identified only a single randomized trial with limited power.

Given the available evidence, further high-quality studies are needed to define the superiority/inferiority of the different available treatment options such as nonablative lasers and topical corticosteroids.

Therefore, in this prospective, randomized, open-label, comparative study, treatment success after 3 courses of non-ablative treatment with CO2 laser every 14 days will be compared with treatment success after topical application of clobetasol 0.05% over 3 months (daily in the first month, every other day in month 2, and 3 times/week during month 3) at the time point 3 months after treatment initiation.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Lichen Sclerosus
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Clobetasol 0.05% Emollient Top Cream; Device: Non-ablative CO2 Laser

Detailed Description

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a common autoimmune disorder of the genital skin. It affects 1/900 women with an age peak in the sixth decade of life. LS is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the genital, perineal, and perianal areas and causes itching, burning, pain, and soreness. Histologically, LS is characterized by epidermal atrophy, hyperkeratosis, follicular plugging, degeneration of the basal layer, and subepidermal hyalinization of collagen in the papillary dermis with a lymphocytic infiltrate. Affected women typically suffer significant long-term genital damage including scarring, fusion of the vulval labia, narrowing of the vaginal opening, dyspareunia, and burying of the clitoris. In addition, LS is associated with an increased risk of vulvar cancer.

Treatment options of LS include topical steroids such as clobetasol, topical immunomodulators such as tacrolimus, and non-ablative laser treatment. In a systematic review of the literature with 7 studies and 249 participants, clobetasol achieved improvement rates and remission rates of 70% to 89% and 20% to 35%, respectively. In comparison, non-ablative laser treatment leads to significant improvements in vulvar itching, dryness, pain, and dyspareunia in 50% to 85% of women with remission rates of up to 80% after 14 years of follow-up. Although both treatments are well documented and used in clinical practice, direct comparative studies assessing the efficacy of topical corticosteroids versus laser treatment in women with LS are rare. For example, in a PubMed literature search (search date 2021-03-14; search terms: lichen sclerosus, laser, corticosteroids, steroids, clobetasol, randomized) only one randomized trial was identified. In this study, the authors included 40 women with LS and compared 3 applications of non-ablative laser 2 weeks apart with 4 weeks of twice daily (2 weeks), once daily (1 week), and every other day (1 week) of topical clobetasol 0.05% cream. After 3 months of treatment laser-treated women had a significantly higher sum score (including burning, itching, and pain) measured on an 11-step visual analogue scale (VAS). Both treatments demonstrated histological improvement with reductions of inflammatory hallmarks in skin biopsies.

Given this body of evidence, more high-quality studies are needed to define the superiority/inferiority of the different available treatment options such as non-ablative laser and topical corticosteroids. Therefore, a prospective, randomized trial comparing non-ablative CO2 laser treatment and topical clobetasol 0.05% will be conducted. The aim of this prospective, randomized, open-label, comparative trial is to establish or refute the superiority of 3 courses of non-ablative treatment by CO2 laser every 14 days compared to topical clobetasol 0.05% (daily in month 1, every other day in month 2, and 3 times/week in month 3) for 3 months. The primary endpoint of this study is a sum score including the pathognomonic symptoms of LS, namely vulvar burning, itching, and pain, each measured on an 11-step VAS. Secondary endpoints will include the physician-scored rate of visual improvement (measured on an 11-item VAS), side effects, and patient-reported outcomes such as subjective overall improvement, general satisfaction, and quality of life (measured by a validated questionnaire for vulval disorders; i.e. the VDQI (Vulval Disease Quality of Life Index).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 246
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • North Rhine-Westphalia
    • Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 44625
      • Marien Hospital Herne

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women, age ≥ 18 years
• Established diagnosis of LS (vulva and/or perineum and/or perianal region)
• Willingness to comply with study requirements
• No significant language barrier

Exclusion Criteria:

• Concurrent immunosuppressive treatment
• A history of vulvar cancer and/or vulvar dysplasia
• A history of vulvar surgery
• A contraindication against clobetasol treatment
• A known sun light allergy
• A known skin condition interfering with local ablative treatment such as neurodermatitis or bullous pemphigoid

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Clobetasol Group; Treatment with clobetasol-0,05% over 3 months (month 1: daily, month 2: every other day, month 3: 3x per week)	Drug: Clobetasol 0.05% Emollient Top Cream; Topical corticosteroid treatment of affected vulvar skin areas.; Other Names: Dermoxin (Germany), Temovate, Clobex, Dermovate, Impoyz
Experimental: Laser Group; 3 applications every 14 days of a non-ablative CO2 laser treatment	Device: Non-ablative CO2 Laser; Superficial non-ablative laser treatment of affected vulvar skin areas.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Vulvar burning, itching, and pain	Summary score of three symptoms of LS, i.e. vulvar burning, itching, and pain (11-item VAS each). Higher values mean worse outcome.	from date of randomization until 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Efficacy - Physician-scored rate of visual improvement (0-10)	11-item VAS; higher values mean better outcome.	3 months after treatment start
Safety - Number and severity of side effects	Side effects (perioperative and postoperative complications up to 7 days) including but not limited to bleeding, infection, wound breakdown, unscheduled re-admission, and local pain necessitating systemic analgesia.	0-7 days after laser treatment (laser group); as well as throughout study duration (3 months; both groups)
Subjective overall improvement (0-10)	The patient's subjective judgement of improvement (11-item VAS); higher values mean better outcome.	3 months after treatment start
Vulval Disease Quality of life Index (0-45)	Quality of life assessed before the start of therapy, after every treatment course (laser group; days 0, 14, 28, 42) or after 2 and 6 weeks (clobetasol group; days 0, 14, 42), and after 3 months (both groups) using a standardized, validated questionnaire (VDQI, Vulval Disease Quality of life Index). Lower score mean better outcome.	Throughout study completion (3 months; for a total of 4 or 5 assessments, depending on group assignment)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ruhr University of Bochum
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Clemens B Tempfer, MD, Ruhr-Universität Bochum / Marien Hospital Herne

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bizjak Ogrinc U, Sencar S, Luzar B, Lukanovic A. Efficacy of Non-ablative Laser Therapy for Lichen Sclerosus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2019 Dec;41(12):1717-1725. doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2019.01.023. Epub 2019 Apr 11.
• Felmingham C, Chan L, Doyle LW, Veysey E. The Vulval Disease Quality of Life Index in women with vulval lichen sclerosus correlates with clinician and symptom scores. Australas J Dermatol. 2020 May;61(2):110-118. doi: 10.1111/ajd.13197. Epub 2019 Nov 14.
• Murphy R. Lichen sclerosus. Dermatol Clin. 2010 Oct;28(4):707-15. doi: 10.1016/j.det.2010.07.006.
• Pagano T, Conforti A, Buonfantino C, Schettini F, Vallone R, Gallo A, Avino L, Alviggi C, De Placido G, Sopracordevole F. Effect of rescue fractional microablative CO2 laser on symptoms and sexual dysfunction in women affected by vulvar lichen sclerosus resistant to long-term use of topic corticosteroid: a prospective longitudinal study. Menopause. 2020 Apr;27(4):418-422. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001482.
• Renaud-Vilmer C, Cavelier-Balloy B, Porcher R, Dubertret L. Vulvar lichen sclerosus: effect of long-term topical application of a potent steroid on the course of the disease. Arch Dermatol. 2004 Jun;140(6):709-12. doi: 10.1001/archderm.140.6.709.
• Chi CC, Kirtschig G, Baldo M, Lewis F, Wang SH, Wojnarowska F. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on topical interventions for genital lichen sclerosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012 Aug;67(2):305-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2012.02.044. Epub 2012 Apr 6.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 2, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 10, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): October 17, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 17, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): August 18, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 4, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 26, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Lichen Sclerosus; Laser; Corticosteroids; Clobetasol
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Lichenoid Eruptions; Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous; Skin Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus; Polycyclic Compounds; Steroids; Fused-Ring Compounds; Steroids, Fluorinated; Betamethasone; Clobetasol
• Other Study ID Numbers: LASER-LICH1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Data will be shared upon reasonable request made to the corresponding author. This includes individual participant data underlying the results presented here, after deidentification, as well as data dictionaries and the the study protocol. Data is available after publication, without a specific end date. Requesting investigators must show that their proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee identified for this purpose.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After publication of the study results, no time limit.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Reasonable request, approval of the intended study by an independent review committee identified for this purpose.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No