My 3 year old son was diagnosed with Molluscum Contagiousum. What methods of treatment worked for you and which ones were the least painful for your child? I am struggling with a decision on how to treat this, and I don't feel we can let it run it's course as it is spreading. First noticed it after he took swim lessons at the local recreation department. Does this spread more easily in pool areas? UGH!!!!! So frustrated! Sorry if this has been posted previously - I forgot to check before asking. Thanks for all your help!
Thanks for all of your encouraging words. I have seen some improvement in a few of them (they're on his tummy), and I've "popped" some and got the "seed" out. We do have an appointment on Monday with the dermatologist. I have never heard or seen of these, so it has been a little shocking, but I know we'll get through it! If this is all I have to worry about, then we are blessed. :) Thanks again.
Do not let him scratch it. They spread fast. I used PoxiDerm on mine. You can order it online. I have no idea what exactly it is made of, but it is red and you rub it in until it dries and it works pretty well. I also froze the larger ones because they were itching me like mad. Mine took over a year to go away. But the Poxi-derm helped. I ordered it from http://www.dalosbio.com/
I have to say I had never heard of this so I looked it up on Wikipedia and there is a lot of information - it looks like it can be spread through towels, so pool - towels, that is definitely a link! anyway, there are also different treatments listed also - good luck momma!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscum_contagiosum
My son has them right now and has for about 6 months now. It is very frustrating and I am ruining his summer by not letting him run around shirtless like all little boys like to do just to keep them covered up. I have tried the zymaderm or whatever it is specifically for molluscum it didn't make it go away but i think it helped it from spreading. When the spots look really ready to pop I will wait til he falls asleep (he is a very hard sleeper) and my husband is a diabetic so he has tons of sterile needles so i will kind of poke a top layer and really work to get the white seed out. Once I do that I take paper towel to clean up the blood then i alcohol swab the area around it and the spot itself an put a bandaid on it. He has had about 3 break outs, about 4 at a time. After i pop it it scabs over and stays scabbed for some time. I would say out of the 4 I've gotten out he only has one little pock mark but that can still happen with the dermatologist. It's frustrating. My nephew has them all over his tummy and back so i figure im doing something right to keep them from spreading like wildfire. Use a towel once do not reuse it with him or anyone else.
Hi P.,
I've copied and pasted my answer to another Mom a few months ago. Thought it might help you.
"This is very akin to chicken pox. It normally only occurs when there is a low immune system but it is virulent and relentless once caught. Melaleuca oil is the best topical solution for it. Melaleuca oil is many things but it is also an antiviral and works much quicker than other ointments. There is a also a supplement you can buy made by Enzemedica called Viro-stop. It is basically digestive enzymes that stop viral attacks. I was able to fend off chicken pox in my 45 year old husband last summer when our family was exposed. L-Lysine is good also.
An absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex will always help and can prevent other issues arising as well as it builds the immune system. Not all multis are the same. The ones you pick up at Walmart or GNC are more dangerous than they are helpful. If you're interested I can explain that in detail for you. My family takes one that is guaranteed to absorb and also does not cause free radicals like most on the market.
You probably don't want to hear this but ice will keep it from breaking out further. Ice packs in those areas that you REALLY don't want an issue would be a good idea. Ice will actually change the metabolism of a spreading virus. "
Hope this helps P. and I hope your little one feels better soon!
M.
My daughter (much older...like about 6 yrs) got a few of those. They are nasty little things. It is very hard to get rid of, and the more you stress over it the more they seem to spread. Having a good immune system is key, as it is viral. I took my daughter to a dermatologist and they put a combination treatment on hers (she had about 5 altogether) some sort of prescription wart remover mixed with "bug" juice (cantharidin). If you google Molluscum Contagiousum you will find a lot of info, and many parents who have tried all sorts of things. The treatment did not "freeze" them off. It irritated them, caused them (over a period of days/weeks) to get puffy/pussy and burst and then dry up and go away. My daughter had 3 little ones on her neck, and a couple of them on her knee/shin area. They all went away successfully with one treatment, haven't come back, and no scarring. It DID take about 5 months to get into the dermatologist's office though.
The pool environment is very conducive (wet clothes/towels, people touching each other, lots of exposed skin, etc). It is likely that another swimmer brushed up against her or her towel (or their towel and her towel) and then the towels transferred the virus; or direct contact, perhaps even the class instructor has a spot and doesn't know what it is (many people think they are just regular old warts) rather than through the water, but I suppose it could be transferred just in the water. I wouldn't let my kids swim with an irritated spot, but if they weren't irritated, I just put a waterproof band-aid over them (and we swim at home, not public pools so no one but us was at any risk).
They can and do go away on their own, but it can take up to 2 years. My son had one on the back of his finger and another one at his waist band area for a long time. I thought they were just warts. Until my daughter got then on her neck. I set up an appt with the derm for my daughter (hers were spreading and his weren't) and got hers treated. By the time we went to the derm, his were going away on their own.
Know that your son can infect himself in other places on his body. So it is best to keep it covered with a bandaid if he is prone to scratching at it. Where does he have it on his body? It might be worth scheduling an appt with a derm. to get it resolved. Particularly if you have other children and most especially if they share bathtime.
Try not to freak out about this though. Stress made ME even start getting them... one on the side of my nose/cheek area. The less I worried and resolved that the derm would take care of it, the more it faded and went away. Coincidence? Maybe. but the more I stressed, the more my kids stressed and the more my daughter got. (I was even applying tea tree oil to their bumps every night after baths before bedtime. It was becoming a ritual, and they hated it - said the oil stunk). When I quit stressing, we got rid of them and they haven't come back.
I had mine for 2-3 years. Ugh. I hope his go away sooner. I think the longest they run their course is 4 years?? I can't remember exactly. My derm told me to pop them. I was a bit surprised but he said that popping them will make them go away faster. They are so easily spreadable as it is that you don't run a much higher risk of them spreading by popping them, just make sure you clean the area and your hands afterwards. Once I did that they went away within a month or so. This may be more difficult doing it to a 3 year old, but it's worth a shot!
Both my daughters got them and we had it cleared up in about 5 months. Always make sure you use a clean towel after every bath and never wear any clothing more then once without washing (ex. pj's). When they get irratated then pop them. As long as you get the base/seed out then that one is gone. My girls didn't like it but every night after bath we would check their body and take care of the "ready" ones. Make sure that you wash your hands afterwards....good luck!
Have you tried Australian lemon myrtle essential oil? It's mentioned in the Wikipedia article on molluscum contagiosum, and is perfectly natural. In fact, lemon myrtle is very refreshing in aroma, and is not only for aromatherapy but used in food. It's important to use it diluted for molluscum. See more info about lemon myrtle and molluscum here: http://www.lemonmyrtleessentials.com/molluscum.htm
My daughter had Molluscum and we were recommended a product called PoxiDerm by her pediatrician.... it was non burning or blistering.... totally pain free unlike the other treatments that I had researched and that had me totally scared to take her to the doctor lol! They still email me promotions so if you want to give it a try use the coupon code below to save some $
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Both my kids had it....they don't hurt them and are just ugly. The best cure is Aldera cream. You have to dot it on every night which can be a pain if the child won't sit still, but it works. It still takes time for them to go away, but it speeds the process. Go see Dr. Caputo.
Not sure why you would pop them?? That makes them spread!
The Silver Cure worked well for a friend of mine whose baby had it. You can order it online.
My son had one on his neck and I thought it was a pimple so I squeezed it and that made it worse! It spread more and when he scratched them they spread too! I used clearcel benzoperoxide full strength. They dried out. It took about a year. good luck
