Treatment ideas - molluscum contagiosum?

[HomeTogether]

My 7 year old son has just unfortunately been diagnosed with molluscum 😞 so far he just has a few spots by his armpit. Apparently it goes away on its own, but can take 2 years and in that time can spread. Think he caught from his cousin who had it quite badly.
I’d rather try and reduce or treat it quickly rather than the wait and see approach. Anyone recommend a treatment they’ve had success with?
Looking at zymaderm which has success for some people. £30 a tube though but willing to try. Molludab maybe seems a bit harsh to start with as some are very small. Or heard good results from lemon myrtle oil which I could mix with a carrier oil. There are so many suggestions Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[damnthatanxiety]

I'm not sure if it is true but I have read that the active virus sits in the lesions but there is not enough to cause the required immune response. So aggravating them can cause the body to fight them off. I used a needle to pierce each one and pry out the plug. They bled like crazy - weird bleeding like there was just an open blood vessel feeding each one. I dabbed each one with tea tree oil and pressed with a tissue until bleeding stopped. I did each one at a time. There was one big one by the armpit and when I did this one, new ones stopped forming. Weird little fuckers.

[Winny2973]

Oh no, poor boy. I had that growing up and it kept recurring. I think we just used lots of calamine lotion which helped soothe the itching. Not so much a treatment but more of a symptom management. There are probably better treatments now though as that was over 20 years ago for me.

[HomeTogether]

Thanks, yes you are right. I heard that aggravating them helps the body to recognise they shouldn’t be there and fight them. Otherwise it can take ages. I think that’s what some of these lotions and potions do but at £30 a pop, I’d like to try and get it right first time. I’m not sure about popping them myself for fear of spreading the infection. Thanks for your help

[HomeTogether]

Thanks Winny2973 I’m gutted he’s got it, but I guess there are worse things in life. It’s getting quite common these days and doctors don’t seem very supportive.
It’s wierd as we haven’t seen anyone in lockdown but did read incubation period can be 6 months. Just hope he doesn’t pass it to his younger sister, hence why I’d like to be proactive as much as I can.

[OscarWildesCat]

My DS had them all over his face by his hairline, very unsightly looking, he did grow out of it though, I honestly can’t remember what we used but were basically told, for the most part, just to leave it alone and it would go, which it did.

[Longtalljosie]

I pulled them out with a tissue over my fingers. They bleed like hell but when they’re gone, they’re gone. I’d act quickly - they spread like topsy in sweaty conditions...

[FedUpofLockdown123]

Molludab cleared my daughter's and they never returned that was about 5/6 years ago now. I was a bit worried it would be really sore on her but she said it only stung a little bit mainly on the big angry inflamed one. It makes the spots bigger and inflamed then eventually they go away.

[HomeTogether]

Thankfully only the first day he discovered it (last Wednesday) it was itchy. He hasn’t found it itchy since which I hope will contain it a bit.

[ThatsNotMyToddler]

Hi OP, I’m a GP. The reason doctors ‘don’t seem very supportive’ is because there’s no evidence that anything works. This is also why there’s loads of suggested treatments around. Some of them may seem to work for some people, but none of them are good enough for us to be able to recommend. The problem with molluscum as well is that they stay for ages and do people try loads of things, then just as they disappear (of their own accord) they’ve tried a new ‘treatment’ and - hey presto - that must have been the solution.

What we do know, with certainty, is that if you mess with them it can be painful and is much more likely to cause scarring than if they go on their own.

I’m sorry your son has these, but ultimately they’re a harmless, albeit sometimes unsightly, viral infection and they’re best left alone.

[HomeTogether]

Longtalljosie Thanks. When you say pull them out is there a core? I’m imagining it’s a liquid inside and If popped it will run on his skin and then spread? This is how they look now.

[HomeTogether]

Thanks ThatsNotMyToddler. Sorry I shouldn’t have said doctors not supportive, I mean more in terms of treatment. I know there aren’t any official treatments so there is only so much they can do and the doctor was as helpful as she could be. By posting I was just hoping to narrow down the possible (perhaps herbal) remedies as I’d like to try something to help. I guess I’m probably over worrying a bit, but as his younger cousin had it so bad, all over his torso and they often got infected I guess I’ve seen it first hand and like to think I had tried something.

[shelikesemwithamoustache]

Take the top out and then pull the white core out. They do bleed, but once you get the 'mother' spot, I found they went quite quickly. My son had them as a toddler (about 8 years ago) and I left them as instructed and they went on for months and spread. My daughter had them last year, I recognised them straight away and squeezed them all. She found it all quite satisfying to get rid of them! I also got some molludab for the smaller ones that were harder to pick. Hers were gone within a month.

[DragonLegs]

They are hardly noticeable and can cause scarring if you remove them yourself. The inside looks like a grain of white rice almost like a core rather than anything liquid. His body will recognise them eventually and attack them. This is when they start to look angry and most likely the point people seek treatment. But actually they are on their way to healing at that point.

[Worried74]

My daughter had these for 3 years, started off as just a little patch and got progressively worse (having to take antibiotics on numerous occasions for infected areas), nothing helped and it got to the point where her consultant (for another issue) suggested surgery....then they disappeared of their own accord a few weeks later. Not much fun and seriously dented her confidence.

[FudgeBrownie2019]

DS1 had them a while ago and someone on here suggested Thuja and colloidal silver. I was entirely unconvinced but tried it because our GP's suggestions didn't work. It could have been a placebo, or coincidence, but a Thuja tablet every morning and a spray with the silver every night and they were gone within a fortnight.

[Flinstones]

My child had them I took her to the doctors & they said there was no treatment just leave & they will eventually go, could be a couple of years!! My child's were very itchy( suffers with eczema) I took my child to a dermatologist who said that no child should have to put up with them, the dermatologist lasered each one like they do with a wort & she didn't get any more the ones she had cleared up, best thing I ever did. She also gave me a prescription for 2 treatments in case they came back, when I went to get the prescription the chemist was surprised the doctor didn't prescribe in the first place.

[argueifnecessary]

I have had them for more than 10 years, I am 33. Nothing helps. They come and go. Come with alcohol, with illnesses and stress

[sucha]

My son had this, on his legs. I was so worried people at school would notice. He’s 11. We used this
ZymaDerm Molluscum Warts Skin Care, Natural, Gentle, Painless, 13 ml www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072WBVHBQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_R319Eb4XFXJA8?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21
And an aveeno moisture cream on top
Took a couple of months but they have gone. Some we were able to pop out.

[Greysofa]

DS had them recently, had been ongoing for about 8 months. They were under his neck and he was becoming more conscious of them. GP said just to leave them but we decided to use the molludab, and within 2 months they had gone. Also bought a multi vitamin that boosted the immune system to try and help the body fight at the same time.
Whilst treating them, I washed towels after every use, clean PJ’s every night and bedding changed every other day to prevent the spread.
One thing I would echo that others have said it to make sure to get the core out as each spot starts to heal, otherwise it comes back.
Have attached pics to show the stages (though he won’t let me take one now as he says there is nothing to take a pic of!)

[liftthatup]

Molludab worked quickly on both my children. Within a fortnight. I did have to strongly request the prescription from gp who really wanted to follow the ‘keep them til they go away of their own accord‘ approach.

[BikeRunSki]

very recent thread in the same

[Absofruitly]

My eldest had these about the same age as your son. His went away on their own after about 6 months. Unfortunately, they are contagious little blighters and they spread to me. I wasn't prepared to wait for months so I located the Queen (biggest) one and popped it with a sterile utensil and removed the core, cleaned it up and covered with a plaster. The rest of them disappeared within a fortnight. Grim but satisfying.

[applefig]

My son had them for 2 years, I never actually used anything on them but was recommended molludab by the GP. My daughter didn't catch them from him until about a year after my sons started. Hers only lasted about 6 months and there was much less spots than he had too. Hopefully your son has a shorter period of time with them also! I don't think I'd pop them like people suggested, my son scratched and popped one of his and it got infected and really angry looking

[Metalhead]

Just wanted to say that it doesn’t always take ages to clear. DD2 has had some spots on her legs for about 3 months and they’re starting to clear up now. She wouldn’t let me pop them because it really hurt her.

[LightTheFlameThrower]

Put plasters on them so he can’t scratch and spread them.