Paper cuts ALL THE TIME

[overthinker123]

I have had HSV1 on my mouth since I was a kid and I never had many flareups nor has it ever caused many issues for me. A few years ago, I noticed something was wrong in my genital area and had it checked out the next day. At first glance, I was told it looked like genital herpes. The culture came back negative, but I was still left with so many questions. A few months later, I took a blood test that told me I was positive for HSV1 which was not news to me, and it did not answer if my issue was herpes or not.

A little more than a year after that, the same issue presented itself and I went to the doctor immediately. They took another swab which came back negative, but also diagnosed me with something that was not herpes. 

For about a year now, I have noticed I get these paper cut like cuts in the same area extremely frequently. I talked to my doctor about it when I first started to notice them and they told me it may be because of my diet and not to worry about them too much. These happen so frequently it is honestly difficult to keep track of, but at the worst of it, it felt like I would get a cut it would heal in a day and a couple days later, I would get another one. Now, it seems like I get these about twice a month, but they heal extremely fast. There is no crusting over, they are just little fissures that appear one day that are extremely painful and heal in a day. 

Does anyone have any answers to what may be going on? Or if anyone has been through anything similar? It is very difficult for me to process sometimes because I just do not know what is going on and I feel lost at this point. 

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello!

Please know that you are going to be okay ❤️  Many folks have described the cuts/fissures you are describing. There is hope! 

First, which genitals do you have, and where on your genitals do the cuts appear? 

When you have the cuts, do you experience any other symptoms? When you had the first outbreak of these cuts, did you have any other symptoms before or during when the cuts appeared? What did the doctor think it was when they diagnosed it, and did they offer any solutions to help it?

Candida or Thrush:  From what you are describing, it is possible that the fissures are from a yeast or fungal infection of the skin. Thrush is another possible answer for all genitalia. I was doing some reading and research and it seems those who are uncircumcised are more likely to experience Candida or bacterial infections which can cause paper-like cuts. 

Recurrent Fissuring:  If you have a vagina and the fissure occurs around the enternace of the vagina, it could be recurrent fissuring, previously known as vulvar granuloma fissuratum. A few things can cause this, including vulvovaginitis from Candida yeast (thrush), HSV, atrophic vulvovaginitis, contact dermatitis from irritants or allergy, seborrhoeic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, lichen simplex, aphthous ulceration, and lichen sclerosus. Some people may also get tearing in this area from childbirth or pelvic floor muscle tension. Read more about symptoms here: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/recurrent-fissuring-of-posterior-fourchette

I hope this helps! 

Blessings of happiness and health to you! 🙂 

grace

 

[Flowerteacher55]

Hi Again! 

Oops, I forgot to address the recurrence of the cuts! Sorry!

Does it seem like anything triggers the cuts to appear? Are you using a product or eating something and then you have the outbreaks? Keep a log of what you are using or eating and log outbreaks as well, and see if there are any patterns occurring. Data is helpful for you and to show to doctors, too! 🙂 Also, have you been to a dermatologist or OBGYN, or just a regular doctor? 

Blessings! 

 

[overthinker123]

Hi thank you so much for your kind words and resources!

I have a vagina and these cuts occur near the bottom in the perineum area but specifically on the left side. I have not been to the OBGYN yet in regards to these cuts because I always was under the impression it was due to what I was eating. As far as triggers, I kind of thought that they were related to alcohol because I have  noticed them occurring after drinking. 

When I had the initial outbreak, I was experiencing flu like symptoms which is very common and what has lead a lot of doctors to say it was a genital herpes outbreak, however, what seems to throw them off is the cultures coming back negative. I know the swabs are not 100% accurate but with the two obvious outbreaks I did have, I was sure to test between 24-48 hours of them appearing. One doctor said that due to the cultures coming back negative they believed it to be an aphthous ulcer (canker sores) which is pretty rare but also not contagious. When these sores appear they resemble HSV and also have flu like symptoms. I was not given anything other than a lidocaine ointment which did help significantly with the pain. The first time I noticed these sores, I was given Valtrex but it did not seem to help very much.

The cuts I have been getting, however, just appear. I became irritated down there last weekend due to shaving and it has been pretty irritated since but the cuts were not there last night and appeared this morning. Other than this, the cuts just seem to appear. 

I talked to a nurse at my OBGYN's office and explained just about everything I have said in this reply and in my original post and she says that she does not think it is herpes and may be the soap I am using? I have an appointment with an OBGYN tomorrow to check out the cuts and get them swabbed, but I fear they might just tell me what everyone else has been saying. 

So sorry for another long post, but like I had mentioned earlier, I am starting to really lose hope in trying to figure this issue out and I feel like giving as many details as possible may help me get more answers.

Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it! 

[AlliKat12]

Hello,

I also have these cuts down in my perineum area.  I actually had these small cuts about 6 months on and off before I had my initial GHSV 1 outbreak.  I have done 2 swabs on them and they have come back negative for HSV but I was always told to put hydrocortisone on them to help with healing and itching.   I am actually going to the doctor next Wednesday to get them looked at again because I am unsure if they are related to my first outbreak which was a month ago yesterday.  

Just until you can figure out what's going on, I would use the hydrocortisone cream and maybe take a sitz bath to promote healing.  Hopefully you find out some answers soon.  I know it can be frustrating. 

[overthinker123]

5 hours ago, AlliKat12 said:

Hello,

I also have these cuts down in my perineum area.  I actually had these small cuts about 6 months on and off before I had my initial GHSV 1 outbreak.  I have done 2 swabs on them and they have come back negative for HSV but I was always told to put hydrocortisone on them to help with healing and itching.   I am actually going to the doctor next Wednesday to get them looked at again because I am unsure if they are related to my first outbreak which was a month ago yesterday.  

Just until you can figure out what's going on, I would use the hydrocortisone cream and maybe take a sitz bath to promote healing.  Hopefully you find out some answers soon.  I know it can be frustrating. 

Thank you so much for your advice! All this gets so confusing sometimes and I also hope you figure out some answers soon! 

I went to the OBGYN today and they told me the cause of this was dermatitis and that unfortunately this is something I am going to just have to deal with because its going to keep coming back. I did not get a swab done because they told me that they did not believe it to be herpes despite my long and very confusing history. 

If you don't mind me asking, did you also get your initial GHSV1 outbreak swabbed? Or were you able to determine it through blood work? 

Thank you again!

[AlliKat12]

Hi,

I had the cuts for about 6 months on and off and I got them swabbed twice and the test came back negative.  They did tell me since my cuts didn't produce any pus or liquid that it might be hard to get a positive result.   Then about 2 months later, the cuts got even worse and it hurt pretty bad.  That's when I went back to the OBGYN and they told me I had small blisters in the same area as the cuts.   They swabbed the blisters and cuts and it came back positive for HSV1.   I've been on Valtrex since July 20th and the blisters have gone away but I still have the smaller cuts on each side on my perineum.   

I will also bring up to my OBGYN about the possibility of dermatitis but the cuts could also be the result of bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection so I am just going to get tested for it all.  

[Flowerteacher55]

Hello!! 

Thanks for the extra information! The symptoms you were explaining with the first outbreak do line up with HSV, and yes, canker sores do look a lot like an HSV sore (and they hurt like them, too!). The fact that you tried Valtrex and didn't help much may mean it isn't HSV, but not all folks respond well to antivirals, so that isn't the only indicator to examine. 

It's great that you saw the OBGYN. Did they say what the cause of the dermatitis could be linked to? You could also try taking out things from your diet to see if your cuts go away. For example, cut out alcohol for a month, the next month take out dairy or whatever else you think could be the cause, etc. You could also try switching up soaps, too! 

@AlliKat12 Thank you so much for your input and advice! I'm glad the blisters went away. I'm sorry the cuts are still there. It could be from so many things, so it's a great idea to get tested for all of it. Try seeing a dermatologist if you can, too, to gain insight from their expertise and perspective! 

Blessings to you both! ❤️ 

 

 

[Aihm1]

Hello, 

I know this is awhile later, but did you figure out what this was? I have gotten a little “cut” “split in skin” whatever you want to call it every couple weeks for several months now. I tested igg negative and western blot negative. They go away in a couple days. Hard to get into the doctor when they pop up. Don’t usually have signs they are showing up, other than I look most days. I’ve done 2 home swabs and they have been negative. My last igg was 7 months post possible exposure. I’m pretty convinced it’s herpes still, but none of the tests have been positive yet. 

[mr_hopp]

15 hours ago, Aihm1 said:

Hello, 

I know this is awhile later, but did you figure out what this was? I have gotten a little “cut” “split in skin” whatever you want to call it every couple weeks for several months now. I tested igg negative and western blot negative. They go away in a couple days. Hard to get into the doctor when they pop up. Don’t usually have signs they are showing up, other than I look most days. I’ve done 2 home swabs and they have been negative. My last igg was 7 months post possible exposure. I’m pretty convinced it’s herpes still, but none of the tests have been positive yet. 

Hi @Aihm1 — you say you've been getting these papercut-looking fissures for several months. When you got tested via the Western Blot, how long after you first started noticing these symptoms did you get tested? In order for the WB to pick up the antibodies (if you have them), they need 3-4 months to build up in the bloodstream to be detectable. IgG isn't super reliable, so that one 7 months in isn't definitive. 

[Aihm1]

I noticed them about 7 weeks after a SA. Western blot was done 13 weeks post possible exposure. I’ve had 3 iggs done, all negative. Done home swabs on 2 and they were negative but may have gotten too hot in shipping. I’m at a loss. 

[Aihm1]

Terri Warren said 12 weeks was enough to test

[mr_hopp]

Yeah, other sources say 3-4 months, but if Terri says 3 months is enough time, then I'd believe her! Then I would definitely trust the results of your Western Blot. And I hear you that you're still at a loss as to what these fissures on your skin are, but WB is a definitive blood test when you've waited that long post-possible exposure.

FYI, swabbing it will be difficult to get an accurate test because there is typically less fluid or discharge associated with cuts or fissures compared to blisters. Swab tests for herpes rely on collecting a sample of the fluid or discharge from an active lesion, as this is where the virus is most concentrated and easily detected. It doesn't mean to not try it if you can time your doctor's visit with seeing a new presentation, but even if you get a negative result from a swab PCR test, that wouldn't be definitive with fissure-like outbreaks. 

Sorry I couldn't give you a more helpful reply to get you answers you're needing, but I hope it gives you a few more datapoints to focus you into finding out what this actually is! Keep us posted, okay? 

[Aihm1]

I really appreciate your response. I am having a hard time accepting the WB because of the fissures. I also just read i on another forum that someone’s WB was negative after 16 weeks and they swabbed positive. So that worries me. They happen about every 10-14 days or sooner. Go away usually 48-72 hours.  I only really notice them if I look or they sometimes have a mild sting when voiding. I don’t know how to move on. I can’t keep swabbing every single sore that pops up. I don’t even know if they are accurate. I’m trying to date and I’m hindered by this. It takes up about 85 percent of my daily thoughts. I’m miserable.

[mr_hopp]

I hear you. It is a confusing time for sure. Because I've always heard 3-4 months before getting the WB, perhaps you wait (which I know is the hardest part!) another month and get another WB. That's going to be your best bet for a definitive test result.

[Aihm1]

She said university of Washington said it went from 16 to 12 per their research. I could possibly do that but I’m concerned I’m one of the people who don’t produce antibodies and that’s why it isn’t showing up on tests. Becsuse WB. Is still an antibody test 

[AlliKat12]

Hello @Aihm1,

I actually still get the small cuts/fissures in my perineum area still.  I went to an OBGYN that swabbed them and actually took a skin biopsy and it came back negative for HSV and was just determined to be an undetermined dermatitis.  The doctor told me that with my outbreak being in that area and with other trauma such as sex and childbirth, that I might just have thin skin there and when I wipe after going to the bathroom or my pants/underwear rub against that area, it might be causing those small tears. 

I have come to the conclusion that the fissures and small cuts aren't apart of HSV because I can't find any connection to them at all besides they started happening in the same year.   I put baby aquaphor that has hydrocortisone on the cuts before bed and they are normally gone in the next day or so.  

[Aihm1]

@AlliKat12 thank you for sharing that! I’m tempted to do that at this point. I’m still extremely worried about this and it is really detrimental to my health. With them occurring so so frequently, it would be horrible if it really is hsv. I even took Valtrex for a few weeks a couple months ago and still had this issue. I’m going to probably try that again as well. It’s really hard to see a doctor when they show up because they heal very quickly. So I’ve swabbed using 24/7 labkits. I’m worried those are accurate though. I sent another off this week. 

[AlliKat12]

Well the next time you have them, try to make a doctors appointment if you can.  The skin biopsy really helped me because then I knew it wasn't caused from the HSV.  I actually had the cuts about 6 months before I even had my first outbreak.   They might even be able to do a skin biopsy without the cuts being present and just test that area since they take a small chunk of skin and test it. 

I hope you can figure out what is going on, I know the stress over what's causing them is not fun to deal with.