Underwear options when lichen sclerosis flares

I wonder if laying down a layer of silicone gel sheeting right along the crease would protect your skin from the elastic? Silicone gel sheeting is used in burn and scar care. If it can be used to promote healthy skin on burns it would seem like it would be okay over lichen sclerosis. The sheeting is self sticking - although the friction of movement may loosen the edges. It should help keep the skin dry. There is also a silicone gel that comes in a tube - it’s put on like a cream. I don’t know if that would provide a thick enough cover to protect your skin.
Putting something like a 1 1/2” to 2” wide strip along the skin crease may interfere slightly with the seal of the elastic usually against the skin allowing some bodily fluids to escape - but maybe only a tiny amount?
Just a thought, not sure if this would work. But silicone gel sheets have been successfully used on burns and scars for many years. Looks like it can easily be bought OTC.

Here’s an article about the silicone gel sheets and gel -
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4486716/

I had collagenous colitis flares, until I found that gluten, legumes, and NSAIDs were the triggers. Tis a bit messy, but can you wear cotton or silk underwear under the "Always Discrete" wear? If less coverage would work, women's hygiene pads are an option; they absorb a lot. Also, pelvic floor exercises and PT can help, at least give you more time to find a bathroom. Pelvic floor (Kegel, etc) are good for colitis, incontinence, post pregnancy, ED, and other "down there" stuff.

@itchybits If you do decide to go that route, I found silicone sheeting on Amazon that worked much better than the name brand sold on the shelf in stores.

The other thought that popped into my mind is: would period underwear work for you, possibly with a liner? Those are more likely to have a boyshort design and would have less of the elastic. I’m a caregiver for my father and have seen incontinence liners for sale. The brand we use is Tena. They’re meant to give more protection, I think.

Have you considered seeing a pelvic PT about the fecal and urinary incontinence? I have the opposite problem (retention), but working with a specific pelvic PT did wonders for me and I know they also treat incontinence. It was way more helpful than anything my doctor could tell me or prescribe.

Incontinence pads that stick inside your underwear come in a variety of sizes to accommodate most body types. Available on Amazon and in most grocery stores and pharmacies. Also, have you tried cutting the elastic bands out of the legs of the underpants? Then wear boy shorts over them to keep them snug to the body. It is a make do fix but may help.

I have tried most options suggested by others...this has been the exception! I have not tried silicone gel sheeting...but will now. I have tried gels/ointments etc. Period underwear are not an option for me...they work well for mild urinary incontinence, but not an option for fecal incontinence.

Thank you Rubyslippers for the info & for including the link to the NIH.

Love & hugs to all who have replied & especially to those dealing with similar difficulties.

Yep...been there...done that. I do pelvic floor exercises (have for years) but they only do so much. I even have a pair of INNOVO pants that I used several years ago...digging those back out. I have upcoming surgeries to include hysterectomy, oophorectomy, & bladder sling/duplicate ureter removal.

Hoping all of these together help. Fecal incontinence is a whole other story from urinary incontinence. When you have both, things become so much more complicated. Add lichen sclerosis to that already bad recipe....YIKES!

Thank you for your suggestion...I have tried various options to include those you mention. Cutting the elastic has helped. My point in bringing up the issue is to motivate companies to be more responsive to consumer needs. There is NO reason in this day & age that the consumer (in this case...a 60ish yr old lady) should have to MacGyver solutions unless they are employed in one of said companies R&D teams. Anyone hiring??

I absolutely concur. Hope it works. 😉

@heart2024 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I’m glad you’ve joined us and given a good tip, too!

@itchybits Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I’m sorry that it’s such an awful situation that brought you here. Was the diarrhea caused by one of the medications that you’re taking? That happened to me. I had massive, incontinent diarrhea for at least a year before my neurologist heard about it. She said it was a serious reaction to my main medication. I was sent for a colonoscopy and biopsies showed that I was deficient in pancreatic enzymes. Where that came from, I’ll never know.
I wish you the best in managing this problem. What’s one thing you do to manage the problem when you’re not home?