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Original poster

Best treatment for molluscum contagiousum?

33 replies

zippyswife · 07/08/2023 08:30

DS Is suffering with these on his torso for the last 7 months. GP says they will go on their own and that there isn’t a treatment- however they seem to be spreading.

Any success stories out there of treatment that actually works?

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 07/08/2023 08:33

Molludab seems to work ok for some.
Unfortunately the only thing that worked for us was that one of DDs got very infected and had to be cleaned out by our GP at out of hours. After that they all vanished pretty quickly

LashesZ · 07/08/2023 08:36

Proper apple cider vinegar on a cotton pad, dab on the molluscum, let dry and cover with a plaster afterwards.
Just be careful about the length of time leaving the acv - I gave myself a chemical burn but decided one day to obliterate them and left it on for over an hour.

UWOT1 · 07/08/2023 08:37

Bicarb baths help with the itch

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illiterato · 07/08/2023 08:39

anything that works works by making your immune system recognise that they are there and react against them. Apple cider vinegar is an astringent so fulfills that role. One getting infected can also prompt it. Although not advised I squeezed a couple of particularly juicy ones and then the rest all flared up and disappeared in a few weeks.

User5653218 · 07/08/2023 08:44

I think popping them was the best way too.
We tried all sorts, acv, molludab, some sort of lotion with silver in it?
Eventually I popped some of the biggest ones when he was asleep and that seemed to trigger something. They all started to look a bit red and angry then disappeared almost overnight.

But maybe it was just their time to go and nothing to do with popping them? Who knows.

SweepTheHalls · 07/08/2023 08:44

I am the least woo person out there, but daily baths with a couple of drops of tee tree oil and lavender oil cleared them up remarkably quickly. DS, DD and DH had them one after another, and once we started this they went away. Was recommended to me by a health visitorvwho really knew her stuff.

peachescariad · 07/08/2023 08:47

All my 3 had them and found sudocream worked well...not sure if it aided them going, as its viral and will just go....mine had them for approximately 18 months.
They have left some pitted scars though but they were all on torso.

premiumlight · 07/08/2023 09:02

lemon myrtle oil was the thing that worked for us. We tried molludab which stung like hell and made her cry. Didn't really work either. I asked on a parenting forum about 10 years ago for advice and a few people mentioned lemon myrtle. I was cynical but it did indeed work!

ForTheLoveOfGrace · 07/08/2023 09:53

We tried everything & in the end they went on their own. Just before that they seemed to look like they were spreading but then disappeared.

Definitely DO NOT pop them as they will spread even more. We ended up just using sudacream and sometimes pain relief at night if the itchy got too bad.

It's really tough for them but it does go. Fingers crossed you DC will have theirs go soon too.

FrenchFancie · 07/08/2023 12:51

Like others, they only went once one flared and went manky. Then they all went in the space of a few weeks - and DD was bloody covered in them for 18 months!! We had had a second go at using molludab but honestly I don’t know if it was that or just finally time for them to go.

hood luck, they are a total nightmare!!

Original poster
zippyswife · 07/08/2023 15:35

Thanks all. Will start with the acv and the tea tree and take it from there. I wish I had got on top of it earlier. Originally it was a handful on his torso that weren’t noticeable and I ignored them and hoped they’d go away. But now there are dozens on his armpit and lots look really large and angry. I’ve just noticed one on his neck too. He’s starting secondary school soon and just don’t want it to be an issue.

OP posts:
Takentomybed · 07/08/2023 15:39

I remember my son having this and being told there was no treatment by gp.

After researching I got some colloidal silver spray and herbal supplements not expecting much. They were gone in a couple of weeks. Felt like a magic cure at the time!

illiterato · 08/08/2023 17:03

ForTheLoveOfGrace · 07/08/2023 09:53

We tried everything & in the end they went on their own. Just before that they seemed to look like they were spreading but then disappeared.

Definitely DO NOT pop them as they will spread even more. We ended up just using sudacream and sometimes pain relief at night if the itchy got too bad.

It's really tough for them but it does go. Fingers crossed you DC will have theirs go soon too.

Re popping, depends how you do it and if you’re a sporning ninja. Sloppy and reckless popping is a definite no-no. However precision popping does work. You need to squeeze with clean tweezers until the core pops up and then use the tweezers to remove and then swab with an alcohol wipe. Doesn’t spread and the alcohol irritates it and encourages the immune repos se which will clear the rest.

Takes some dedication but tbh I pretty much live for stuff like this 🤣

ForTheLoveOfGrace · 08/08/2023 18:10

@illiterato ooh my good advice. I'm definitely not as able as you and wouldn't risk it as I hate doing that stuff 🤣

Poor wee mites it's horrid isn't it.

User5653218 · 08/08/2023 18:15

I remember popping them when ds was asleep so I could properly get all the white centre out the biggest ones. Poor little man. There must be some sporner videos out there showing The Procedure

PuffyShirt · 08/08/2023 18:19

Waiting until they’re asleep, and then squeezing them.

Or is that just me? 😂 A fond memory…

They will go. My kids took about 6 months. My nieces, far longer.

Cantonet · 08/08/2023 18:20

Colloidal silver worked after we tried everything else. Including manuka honey ( very sticky!)

Shutuptrevor · 08/08/2023 18:24

Yep, lancing/popping and cleaning out a couple of the big ones is the quickest way, it seems to make the body “see” them somehow?

Original poster
zippyswife · 08/08/2023 19:43

Definitely going to go for the popping! Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully that’ll do the job. Also been dowsing in apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil.

looking back he had what I now think was a massive one on his arm a few months back it just kept oozing. I should have got on top of that and cleared it all out properly but I had no idea what it was back then. Just thought it was a spot. It was probably that which caused it to spread. Beating myself up on that right now.

OP posts:
Brunoandthebigfoot · 08/08/2023 19:45

I highly recommend Molludab though it really stings when applied. It’s works really quickly though. My D.C. had molluscum for 9 months and we’re getting worse but dispersed really quickly with the Molludab.

sosickoffeelingsoso · 08/08/2023 19:52

We've just got rid of this and I tried everything - molludab, silver spray, tea-tree oil, the works! In the end I waited until he was asleep and picked the worst one with tweezers - pulled out a white core and covered with a plaster. From then, they started getting quite angry and as soon as they did, I pulled out the tiny white thread-like core during the night. We had them for about 8 months and as soon as I started this, they were gone within a week or so. I know there's a risk of spreading by bursting but I was careful to cover as soon as I'd opened them.

MadeFrom100percentPears · 08/08/2023 19:53

Both mine had them on their faces! I just scratched a few off in the end and the rest cleared up quite quickly after that! No scarring or anything.

Brunoandthebigfoot · 08/08/2023 22:56

sosickoffeelingsoso · 08/08/2023 19:52

We've just got rid of this and I tried everything - molludab, silver spray, tea-tree oil, the works! In the end I waited until he was asleep and picked the worst one with tweezers - pulled out a white core and covered with a plaster. From then, they started getting quite angry and as soon as they did, I pulled out the tiny white thread-like core during the night. We had them for about 8 months and as soon as I started this, they were gone within a week or so. I know there's a risk of spreading by bursting but I was careful to cover as soon as I'd opened them.

How the he’ll did you manage this without them waking up and screaming?!

Wrenjeni · 08/08/2023 23:00

Molludab worked quickly for us.
Id tried ACV for a few weeks prior but the molludab got rid very quickly.
he did say it hurt but was worth it

ActualAl · 08/08/2023 23:28

When DD1 had this we tried lots of remedies, the gp said it would go away itself but after a few months we visited a Napiers herbalist shop and were given thuja ointment/liquid. It was very strong and we had to dab it on the spots every night using a cotton bud. Within a week we noticed a massive difference and soon all the spots had disappeared. You get to a point where you'll try anything!
Hope you manage to find something that works.

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