A Guide to Molluscum Contagiosum

This is a harmless condition, caused by a virus. Molluscum are tiny, generally 1 to 3 mm, and may have an indentation centrally. Occasionally these lesions can be itchy, but usually they are entirely asymptomatic. If the child picks at them, they can become superficially irritated.

The incubation period, i.e. the time between exposure and the appearance of the rash, can vary from one week to 6 months. It is spread via direct contact (touching the lesions) or by sharing towels, toys, razors, and athletic equipment. One study supports the theory that you can catch molluscum at swimming pools, thus the nickname “swimming pool warts.”

Some people have only a few bumps that go away on their own within a month or two. Others can develop large crops of lesions that last for years.

Treatment options

The best treatment for molluscum is doing nothing, otherwise known as benign neglect, because most cases of molluscum will disappear on their own. If the bumps are cosmetically unacceptable, or spreading quickly, or in a sensitive area (like the genitals in a sexually active person), then there are treatment options. No therapy is guaranteed to be effective, and without side effects.

They include:

• Having a dermatologist scrape off the growths (curettage)
• Freezing the growths (cryotherapy)
• Using chemicals to burst the growths open (blistering agents).

In Hungary, the medication easiest to come by is a plant-based solution of chellidonium majus. There are anecdotal reports of successful treatment with common, plantar warts only.

Podophyllotoxin is about 90 % effective, but there are no trials of this caustic medication in children under ten years of age.

Cantharidin (cantharone), the juice of the blister beetle, has been used for decades, but it is not available in Hungary.

Berdazimer gel is another, newer option, but again, is unobtainable in pharmacies in Hungary.

A simple, possibly effective treatment is occlusion with duct tape or surgical tape.

If your child has molluscum:

• Try to prevent her from picking at the papules because they can spread to the fingers and to other areas of the body.
• If the skin is itchy, use moisturizer liberally.
• If possible, cover the bumps with clothing or a bandage when he is likely to play rough and tumble with others.
• You do not need to avoid swimming pools.
• Seek medical help if the spots spread quickly or become superinfected (red and swollen beyond the original bump).