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Diagnosis

• Diagnosis is usually confirmed by taking a biopsy. This will involve taking a small piece of skin from the affected area (performed under local anaesthetic).
• Your consultant may also consider that your visible symptoms are so obvious that he/she will be sure of diagnosis and not take a biopsy. Your consultant may wish to take a biopsy just to be sure of the diagnosis though and to rule out the possibility of malignancy.
• Whether or not you have a biopsy, the treatment will be the same.
• In the UK consultants would not usually perform a biopsy on a child.

• Diagnosis can still be missed by family doctors. If you have had symptoms for longer than 6 months that have not responded to treatment by your family doctor or GP, consider asking for a referral to a consultant dermatologist. 
  
  
• There remains a lack of awareness amongst GPs and family doctors who often misdiagnose and treat the condition for years as thrush. 
• Patients may also be told that their symptoms are being caused by age, hormones, menopause, STD’s, vaginitis and psychological reasons.