What is it about ?
Molluscum contagiosum infection is a contagious viral infection of the skin. It is presented by a species of wart which is also called ‘molluscum’. It is a harmless infection that usually clears up on its own.
What is its frequency?
Molluscum contagiosum infection mainly affects young children. About 1 in 100 children are infected each year. Children who have sensitive skin (atopy) are more likely to be affected. Sometimes this disease manifests itself in adults as well, but then there is usually an underlying problem that involves the immune system.
How to recognize it?
Molluscums are small, slightly pearly white balls, much like pearls (a few millimeters) with a dimple in the middle. The balls usually appear in small groups. They can be removed entirely with a curette. Usually there is a little hollow that bleeds slightly.
How is the diagnosis made?
Usually, the doctor can recognize the lesions visually. At an early stage or in adults, the diagnosis can be difficult to make.
What can you do ?
If a molluscum contagiosum is suspected, you should contact your doctor in time. There is no point in isolating your child. Contamination occurs more easily in a humid environment. So, you shouldn’t put your kids in the bath together. Use a different towel and washcloth for each child.
What can the doctor do?
Active treatment of the first lumps (papules) can stop the spread of disease and speed healing. The doctor will remove the entire lump of the skin with a curette. A curette is a small spoon with a sharp-edged blade. Half an hour to two hours before the treatment, an anesthetic cream is applied locally to relieve the pain. It is best to cover the cream with a plastic sheet so that it stays in place and penetrates the skin. After the warts are removed, the wound is disinfected. Another treatment is to freeze the ball with liquid nitrogen.
If there are a lot of molluscums, the treatment is sometimes done in 2 or 3 sessions. It is good to check later that no new lesions have occurred.
If it is difficult to treat a young child, it is also possible to wait for a spontaneous recovery.
There is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of topical or drug treatment.
If there is eczema at the same time, it can be treated with a corticosteroid without affecting the mollusca.
Want to know more?
- Molluscums: benign but contagious – mongeneraliste.be – SSMG – Scientific Society of General Medicine
- Molluscums (image) – To be born and to grow
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