Molluscum contagiosum is a common skin condition. It can affect anyone but it occurs most often in children. It is not serious and usually clears within 12-18 months without any treatment.
What does molluscum contagiosum look like?
The skin develops small lumps which are pearly-white or slightly pink. Each lump ('molluscum') looks like a small wart and is round, firm, and about 1-5 mm across. A tiny dimple often develops on the top of each molluscum. If you squeeze a molluscum, a white cheesy fluid comes out.
In most cases less than 20 mollusca develop. Sometimes many mollusca develop over various parts of the skin. They tend to occur in groups or clusters. Any part of the body can be affected but it is rare on the palms and soles.
What causes molluscum contagiosum?
It is caused by a virus and can be passed on by skin-to-skin contact. Once one area of skin is affected the rash can spread to other areas of your skin. In children with eczema the mollusca may spread quite widely as a result of scratching. However, most people are resistant ('immune') to this virus. Therefore, most people who come into contact with affected people do not develop the molluscum rash.
Molluscum contagiosum most commonly affects young children, but it can affect anyone of any age. It is more common in people who have a poor immune system. (For example, if you have AIDS, or are having chemotherapy.) Also, if you have a poor immune system the mollusca tend to be larger and they tend to affect many areas of the body.
Molluscum contagiosum is not a 'sexually transmitted disease' as such. However, sometimes the virus is passed on during the close skin-to-skin contact of having sex. Although it can be passed on during sex, most cases are not caused by a sexual contact. If it is passed on whilst having sex then the first mollusca to appear tend to be on the skin of the lower abdomen and around the penis or vagina.
What are the symptoms of molluscum contagiosum?
Typically, each molluscum lasts about 6-12 weeks, crusts over, and then goes. However, new ones tend to appear as old ones are going as the virus spreads to other areas of skin. Therefore, crops of mollusca may appear to 'come and go' for several months. It commonly takes 12-18 months before the rash goes completely. Occasionally, it lasts longer than two years - sometimes as long as five years.
For some people, the main concern is that the mollusca can look unsightly. However, most children are not bothered by it.
Is molluscum contagiosum serious?
Mollusca are not usually itchy, painful, or serious. A scar is not usually left when they go, but sometimes a tiny pitting scar remains. In a few people the skin looks a little lighter where each molluscum had been. Occasionally, the skin next to a molluscum becomes infected with bacteria. This can be treated with antibiotics. Rarely, a molluscum on the eyelids can cause some eye inflammation. In a small number of cases the rash comes back again sometime in the future. However, after a first episode has cleared away, most people have become immune to the virus and further episodes of rash do not usually occur.
Can infection with molluscum contagiosum be prevented?
The chance of passing on the molluscum contagiosum virus to others is small, and it is not serious anyway. Therefore, there is no need to keep children with molluscum contagiosum off school, swimming pools, gyms, etc, or away from other children.
To reduce the chance of passing it on to others, it is sensible not to share towels, clothes or bathwater. Also, try and avoid skin-to-skin contact with other people (for example, by covering affected areas with clothing). Also, try not to scratch the mollusca as this may increase the risk of spreading the rash to other areas of your skin.
What is the treatment for molluscum contagiosum?
It is usually best not to treat, particularly in children, because:
- The mollusca will usually go away without treatment within 12-18 months.
- Many of the treatments can be painful (such as liquid nitrogen).
- Some treatments have a risk of burning the surrounding skin, which may cause blistering.
- All treatments have a small risk of scarring the skin.
Some people request treatment if the rash is unsightly
The most common treatment is to squeeze each molluscum between fingernails, or with forceps or tweezers. The aim is to squeeze out the central plug of each molluscum. This can be done by a doctor or nurse. However, a patient or parent of an affected child may prefer to do this themselves. There is a good chance that a molluscum will go within 2-4 weeks after being firmly squeezed.
If a you do try squeezing treatment at home:
- Ideally, if you squeeze by using fingernails you should do it whist wearing rubber or latex gloves to avoid spread of the virus. Also, wash your hands before and after squeezing.
- It is best to squeeze mollusca after a bath, when they are softer.
- Limit to a few mollusca at any one time.
- Wipe up carefully and throw away the white curd-like material that comes from the centre of each molluscum as it contains infective virus.
- If you use forceps or tweezers then sterilise them afterwards by putting them in boiling water or antiseptic.
In some cases, other treatment options that may be considered by a doctor or nurse (not to be tried at home!) include:
- Freezing treatment with liquid nitrogen. Freezing can destroy the mollusca.
- A hot metal stick (diathermy) to burn off mollusca.
- Scraping the mollusca off with a special instrument called a curette.
- Touching the mollusca with various chemicals such as phenol (a strong acid). This aims to chemically burn and destroy the mollusca.
These treatments can be painful, although local anaesthetic may be used before some types of treatment.
©EMIS and PIP 2005
