Your Child’s Molluscum
1. What is molluscum contagiosum?
Molluscum contagiosum is a harmless viral infection of the skin. It is very common in children and is contagious. It is caught by direct contact with other children. For most kids, no treatment is necessary. The bumps themselves are usually painless.
2.What to expect
Like most virus infections, this will go away on its own without treatment within 6 months to 2 years. The bumps themselves often become red and inflamed or “pop” just as they are about to go away. This is a sign that the virus is going away, but can be itchy. If there is some pain, you may treat it with warm compresses, ibuprofen, or Tylenol. Most times, the bumps do not become infected with bacteria, but this can sometimes happen.
If your child has a rash around molluscum, we call this molluscum dermatitis. Controlling the associated itch with Benadryl can the spread of these lesions.
3.Treatment for Molluscum Contagiosum
If you or your child want to treat these bumps, medicines applied to the skin can be used. Many of these treatments can be irritating to the skin and are not very helpful. Be careful not to cause too much irritation to the surrounding healthy skin. These treatments do not make people sick so although molluscum are contagious, you do not need to limit your child’s activities.
- Zymaderm This is an over-the-counter homeopathic ointment that can be dotted on individual bumps one to two times daily for up to 2 months.
- Tretinoin Cream (Retin A) This is a cream your doctor can prescribe, to dot on the individual bumps at bedtime until scabbed or peeling.
- Cantharidin (beetle juice) Your pediatrician applies this medicine to the individual bumps in the office. This is left on for 4-6 hours then you must wash this off soap and water. Within 24-48 hours blisters will form, and the individual bump may go away. If blisters develop sooner than 6 hours after application, wash off the medicine immediately. Blisters can be small and not bothersome or large and uncomfortable and the reaction is often unpredictable.
- There is one case report of the use of Duct Tape for molluscum.
4. General Recommendations
- To prevent spreading, we recommend switching from baths to showers.
- Infected children should avoid bathing with non-infected children, and your kid should use their own towel.
- A good daily moisturizer applied over the entire body will treat your child’s skin if it is dry, and may cut back on scratching and spreading.