Chicken pox or Molluscum or something else 🤔

[KLM19]

Son woke with some pale spots on face and on neck on Tuesday morning.. they have just grown and got redder and angry looking.. Doctors think Molluscum but I'm not convinced so looking for experiences.

Have the spots multiplied? Is he otherwise well /not been under the weather in the last few days?
It would be unusual to just have chicken pox spots on the face and neck. Same with hand, foot and mouth, spots more likely be in other places (though not the torso). Can't comment about molluscum, my kids never had that.

Looks like molloscum to me, although I’ve never seen it on the face as much as that. Has anything changed recently, been to maybe areas/houses?x

@WinterFaye2 no changes.. that's only a small amount on one side. The other side of his face is as bad and his chin forehead.

@ghostbusters no, they all start as pale spots then have grown over the last few days.

I think it's just frustrating being diagnosed based on a picture with the Doctors rather than a face to face.

Was hoping any other Mums would have experience with the above.

He's had a bug of some sort the past week or so cough runny nose not 100%

It’s difficult as both chicken pox and molluscum can present differently each time, my DD has had chicken pox twice and shingles and only had a few spots during the second bout of chicken pox. They do blister and scab though whereas molluscum doesn’t.

Both infections can cause a fever/off colour before the spots come too.

If it’s molluscum, please don’t squeeze or scratch them as they can scar. We had this for a long time and finally had success with a Dr Wheatgrass product after trying umpteen others.

Chicken pox usually starts on the trunk, not the face

@PerfectTravelTote Not Always true.

@BreakfastClub80 Thank you!! What product did you use and how long did they last?

We used colloidal silver spray for molluscum and it cleared.

DD had molluscum for around 18th this I think. The advice was to leave it and it would clear up when the immune system kicked in (a bit like warts etc). This was over 10 years ago so I don’t know what the current treatment is.

We did try the harsher products but they were too much and she does have some scarring from squeezing etc (which some people recommended at the time). I don’t know if the wheatgrass spray worked because it was the right time (ie immune system) but it was gentle. We used the Dr Wheatgrass, wheatgrass skin recovery spray.

They do look like molluscum, my son's been tormented with molluscum for months now. Colloidal silver has helped a bit,

It’s molluscum I’m afraid. One of mine had them on her face. They were mainly round her lips and grew astonishingly large.
This was over a decade ago and she had a procedure as a day case to remove them. She got very embarrassed as people commented on them. She has no scarring and they didn’t return.
My other dcs have never had them.
I know a child who had them on his forehead. He was given a spray which worked. Again they never returned.

@Thequeenofwishfulthinking just been to the Doctors again as they have changed overnight. There definitely not Molluscum Thankfully...

Had a visit to the Doctors this morning as we now have over 100 spots on face ears neck and hands... a few Doctors have had a look at him and currently a mystery, but have ruled a few things out including Molluscum based on the appearance today. Could still be pox or hand foot and mouth. taken a swab so should know next week.

I’m glad it’s not molluscum OP. It can take forever to go. Hopefully you will have some answers soon.

Which one please

For those worried about molluscum, Aveeno Baby Daily Barrier cream worked for our DS. In weeks.

Molluscum doesn't appear quickly like that and doesn't spread fast. It is a slow burner and can last for many months.

What have they decided it is?

My son (12) is recovering from a skin infection (3 different bacteria). He had a swab which diagnosed and consequently many antibiotics, steroids, weekly dressings and creams. It's been ongoing for four months and he was very lucky not to be hospitalised.

The cause....scratches from his shinpads which then spread over his whole body.

Good luck with the GP and try to push for a dermatologist if you can. Some of the bacteria can be stubborn buggars! If you want to private message I will be happy to talk!

For molluscum find the Biggest spot there is. And squeeze it, this will set off a immune response and they will go very quickly

Look up Hand foot and mouth.

@wineandsunshine Thank you it's been a bad one.. my DS1 is 16 so we have been through everything with him and I've never seen anything like this. The doctors really seemed stumped.. I'm hoping the culture taken will show something and give answers 🙏

We have more spots although not angry like the face on lower legs and 2 single spots on hands and some on his lips this morning.

I'm leaning towards this being a bad case of HFAM at this point or some sort of bacterial skin infection.

It definitely is not pox looking at the initial spots this morning and how they are progressing.

Looks like he is having another day in bed recovering from whatever this is 😮‍💨

The joys of childhood bugs.

How long will it take for the swab to return?
Fingers crossed it's quick and then they can get the right treatment.

My DS have coliform, pseudonymous and staphylococcus - bloody horrible bacterias to treat.

@wineandsunshine oh god, I've not heard of those 😞

The doctor said around a week for this specific test to come back...

We have a few appearing around the hip area now, like thie pictures above..

Then they all end up like... (I'll attach an up to date photo of the first spots that came out)