What does molluscum contagiosum look like?

• Are small, raised, round and flesh or white coloured that have a small indentation (umbilication) at the center.
• Can become red and inflamed.
• May be itchy.
• Are spread to the adjacent skin by scratching or rubbing.
• Usually appear on the face, neck, armpits, arms, dorsum of the hands and on the eyelids in children.
• May be seen on the genitals, lower abdomen and inner upper thighs in adults if the infection was sexually transmitted.

The incubation period for the virus (the time needed for the lesions to appear on the skin after a person got infected) is 2 to 8 weeks.

How long does it take for the molloscum contagiosum lesions to go away?

It is a self-limited infection and the body can clear the lesions on its own. Usually new lesions appear the following months which lasts 6-18 months before the skin clears completely. However, it's possible to continue developing bumps for up to five years. Once all the lesions are gone, the person is no longer contagious.

How does a person get molloscum contagiosum?

• Skin-to-skin contact.
• Contact with contaminated objects.
• Sexual contact with an affected partner in adults.

Molluscum contagiosum stays in the top layer of the skin and it never gets inside the body.

Which is the treatment for molloscum contagiosum?

Treatment might not be needed in healthy children as the molluscum lesions will eventually disappear on their own. Quite often though we recommend their removal at a dermatologist’s office because they are so contagious and they might last long time. An anesthetic cream is usually administered beforehand to lessen any discomfort. We use:

• Cryotherapy
• Forceps to remove the lesions
• PDL (pulsed dye laser)
• At home you might apply to your children Imiquimod cream or salicylic acid preparations.

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