Foods to Eat and Avoid for Lichen Sclerosus Symptom Relief
Health ConditionsSkin Conditions

Lichen Sclerosus Diet: What to Eat and Avoid

Lichen Sclerosus Diet: What to Eat and Avoid
Alexandr Kolesnikov/Getty Images
By
Rachel MacPherson, CPT
Updated on July 31, 2025
by
A lichen sclerosus diet is a sought-after subject for those with the chronic condition; the hope is that eating or avoiding certain foods may help alleviate symptoms. The condition is not well understood, but it is speculated to be a result of autoimmune issues.

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic skin condition with uncomfortable symptoms of itchiness, pain, and blistering.

 The majority of those with the disorder are women over the age of 50, but it can affect men, women, and children. Typically, the skin affected is the skin around the external area of the vagina (vulva) and around the anus. In men, it is usually at the tip of the penis.

The disorder does not get better on its own and requires medical intervention such as corticosteroids, other creams, or surgery.

Foods to Avoid

The link between lichen sclerosus and diet is not well understood and studies remain inconclusive. Limited research points to foods high in oxalates as being detrimental to those with lichen sclerosus.

High levels of oxalates in the urine may cause vulvar burning and irritate the skin. The evidence is inconclusive, but it may be a good idea to try a low-oxalate diet to see if this helps improve symptoms.

Foods particularly high in oxalates may be foods to avoid with lichen sclerosus. Some examples are:

  • Almonds
  • Bagels
  • Baked potato
  • Beets
  • Bran flakes with raisins
  • Buckwheat groats
  • Bulgur
  • Cashews
  • Chocolate
  • Corn grits
  • French fries
  • Lentil soup
  • Navy beans
  • Miso soup
  • Okra
  • Raspberries
  • Rhubarb
  • Spinach
  • Soybeans

Avoiding these foods could potentially help curb the symptoms of lichen sclerosus.

Foods to Eat

Foods and drinks low in oxalates include:

  • Most fruits, including apples, avocado, banana, sweet cherries, citrus, melons, peaches, and pears
  • Most vegetables, including artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, peppers, and zucchini
  • Coffee
  • Cooked and dry cereals without bran or nuts
  • Eggs and egg noodles
  • Desserts without chocolate or nuts
  • Fish
  • Meat
  • Poultry
  • Rye bread
  • White or wild rice
Calcium binds to oxalates, so eating calcium-rich foods may help reduce the amount of oxalates absorbed by your body.

Foods high in calcium include:

  • Broccoli rabe
  • Canned salmon
  • Canned shrimp
  • Collard greens
  • Nonfat yogurt
  • Orange juice
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Sardines
  • Tofu

Lichen Sclerosus Diet Tips

Beyond being careful about the amount of oxalates you're eating, the following diet tips may help manage symptoms of lichen sclerosus.

1. Consider Adopting an Autoimmune Protocol Diet

Although there are no direct recommendations for a lichen sclerosus diet, there is a strong link to autoimmune disorders, hormone imbalances, and autoantibodies, so a diet used to control autoimmune disorders could potentially help with symptoms.

The autoimmune protocol diet consists of an elimination phase during which grains, legumes, nightshades, dairy, eggs, coffee, alcohol, nuts and seeds, refined/processed sugars, oils, and food additives are removed from the diet.

This diet is maintained for several weeks and sometimes foods are slowly reintroduced to observe if symptoms return. This can help target offending foods. In other cases, people with autoimmune diseases may choose to keep these foods out of the diet indefinitely.

This type of elimination diet can be tricky to do on your own, so it's a good idea to enlist the help of your doctor or a dietitian to make sure you're still getting the nutrients you need.

2. Add a Calcium Citrate Supplement

As we noted above, calcium binds to oxalates in your body. If you don't get enough high-calcium foods in your diet, you may want to take a calcium supplement. Calcium citrate is the preferred form, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

3. Drink Plenty of Water

Make sure to drink plenty of H2O throughout the day, which will help you stay hydrated but also thin out your urine, which can prevent the buildup of chemicals that can irritate lichen sclerosus. The Cleveland Clinic recommends drinking 10 to 12 cups of fluid daily, with at least five of those cups being water.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Cooan H. Lichen Sclerosis and Diet. Lichen Sclerosus Support Network.
  2. Lichen Sclerosis and Diet. Mayo Clinic. September 18, 2024.
  3. Foods & Beverages High in Oxalates. University of Virginia Health System. September 18, 2024.
  4. Low Oxalate Diet. Urology San Antonio.
  5. Diet Do’s and Don’ts to Prevent Kidney Stones. Cleveland Clinic. September 14, 2021.
  6. A Little of This and That: Your Guide to the AIP Diet. Cleveland Clinic. June 28, 2023.
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Kayli Anderson, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

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Rachel MacPherson, CPT

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