Moluscum contagiosum symptoms

Moluscum contagiosum is an infection from a virus that will affect the skin. Molluscium contagiosum symptoms are usually small spots, pearl-shaped and often pink appearing in the infected area. This condition is more frequent in children and it is not a very serious condition, in fact in most cases molluscum treatment is not even necessary.

Moluscum contagiosum is a virus infection, brought on by the poxvirus. Molluscium is similar to warts. It is a contagious condition and it will transmit via skin contact or indirectly via objects such as towels etc. The symptoms of molluscum contagiosum will normally appear 3-7 weeks after the original infection.

This condition, molluscum contagiousum, is frequent in children as they have a lower immune system defence against different viruses. For the same reason, the molluscium can also often appear in HIV positive patients.

Moluscum contagiosum symptoms

• Small spots on limbs and in face. The spots are usually pink-ish and shaped as mini-pearls, a few mm:s in diameter.
• If the molluscum has been sexually transmitted, the mullusci typically appear on penis, vagina, or nearby.

Treatment of molluscum contagiousum 

It is normal for molluscum to heal by itself if given some time, a couple of months typically. Treatment of children with this condition is therefore not the norm but instead it is just left. It is only in more difficult cases of moluscum that it becomes necessary to use different other treatment options such as surgery or freezing.

The most common treatments used with molluscum contagiosum are:

• Molluscium contagiousum freezing by Liquid nitrogen
• Use of chemical solutions for blistering, or acids
• Using electrical needles - this procedure is called electrocautery
• Surgery: scraping with a sharp surgical tool
• Laser treatment
• Moluscum contagiousum ointments

There are topical gels and creams available for treatment and application in the home. Anti-virus medicine and immunal modififiers are also sometimes used.

For younger children, the freezing method as well as scraping or laser can be doo discomfortable so these treatments are mainly used for the treatment of older children. It may be necessary to treat a child several times depending on the number of infected sites and also it is possible that new sites develop during the course of treatment.

Molluscium contagiosum treatment (moluscum contagiousum) is normally only used in children with some severity in the molluscal problems, it may be molluscum in the face or in other embarrasing places. In other cases, the condition is usually left to heal by itself. Molluscum, molluscium, moluscum.