Molluscum worries ( again) and holiday to France

[BooCanary]

I've posted before about my DS's molluscum. Thankfully it cleared up before Xmas after a major flare up. But not before DD caught it off him .

Fast forward 4 or 5 months and DD is plastered in them, on her legs, arms, torso and neck! To make it worse she is getting horrible eczema around the bigger clusters, poor thing. Now I know from DS that they need to really flare up before they go, but I still bought some Poxiderm just in case.

My big worry is we are going to France in the summer for a few weeks, to a campsite with swimming pools. DD loves swimming, and sounds all of our holiday in the pool. On a previous thread someone mentioned that in France you are banned from pools if you have MC!! I am panicking that it won't be better by then, and our holiday will be ruined.

Firstly, is this the case re. French pools? Secondly, is it worth me trying to 'traumatise' one of DDs spots now to try and trigger the inevitable flare up? Am pretty much convinced the many remedies are useless.

[TheSmallPrint]

My DSs had this, the younger one for about 8 months the other for about 18-24 months. With the older one it moved around his body so started on his tummy, moved to his legs, then to his arms etc. we tried loads of stuff, he was very conscious of it. In the end it just went after it had go e everywhere and ran out of new places to go!

[CoteDAzur]

We live in France, too, and it is only the English people I know here who adopt a "wait and see" approach to MC. French parents take their DC to a dermatologist at first sign of MC who then scrapes it/them, getting rid of the virus, and they don't come back.

That is what we did, too. DD had 5-6 on the back of her legs. Dermatologist scraped them and that was the end of it.

Why wait so long that MC covers your DC and then spend your money on snake oil bought on the Internet, homeopaths, etc?

[BooCanary]

Cote - seems like the French have got it right. Its so annoying that doctors over here are so flippant about conditions which upset, embarrass and cause pain.

My DD had bad warts about 3 years ago( poor thing doesn't have much luck with skin complaints but luckily is otherwise perfectly healthy). They covered the fingers on her one hand, and the doctors wouldn't do a thing.

[BooCanary]

Oh BTW cote, re my OP, is it likely to be a problem in French swimming pools?

[BooCanary]

Sorry another question about MC. Has anyone had a DC who has re-caught it from a sibling. I think I'd scream if DS catches it back again from DD!!!

[frazzledbutcalm]

gordon ... I want to join your MI5!
I'm pretty rubbish though as I'm also on the other MC thread and didn't even notice the same person posting on both! I'm going to practise my spy skills

[gordonpym]

We are watching reading you
The MN5 Team

[CoteDAzur]

Boo - I would assume that any child visibly covered in a contagious skin infection would be refused entry to a public pool and not only in France.

[gordonpym]

I have found a very interesting discussion here www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=358.0. It's 15 pages long, and I have read half so far. No miracle cure or product that hasn't been mentioned on MN, but they mention more than once to avoid baths as MC spreads with warm/humid environment and moisture.
My DS2 takes a bath every night! So I thought and would come back here and share!

[frazzledbutcalm]

cote - I don't know if you meant it this way but that seems quite a harsh statement. My understanding from my GP was that MC was a virus in the blood, not a skin infection. My GP never told me how contagious this condition is, and also told me that the chlorine in the pool water helps clear up and kill warts/veruccas/mc ... It therefore didn't cross my mind about not being able to go swimming. Maybe OP never realised either.

Having seen this thread (and a similar one I'm watching) I looked up MC on the NHS website. It says nothing there about being spread by swimming. It says skin to skin contact but not sharing water iyswim. It also says most people are immune to the virus! not so sure there ...

gordon love your MN5 Dd has a bath every 1 or 2 nights! She's 9, going through puberty so she NEEDS a bath! So other than putting her in a cold bath ... mind she only has barely warm water anyway.

I just think there's so much conflicting information on this subject

[CoteDAzur]

What seems to be harsh, frazzled? Saying that a child with a visible infection will normally not be allowed in public pools?

If you thought my short, very polite, civil and considered post was "harsh", I think you need to grow a thicker skin because frankly, I don't know how much more polite and civil an exchange on the internet can get.

"My understanding from my GP was that MC was a virus in the blood, not a skin infection."

I think your understanding is incorrect. Molluscum is a skin infection. It is not "in the blood". If it were "in the blood", you would presumably have it all over at once like chicken pox, and scraping the bumps would not cure it.

Wikipedia says "Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a viral infection of the skin or occasionally of the mucous membranes".

WebMD says "Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection that causes small pearly or flesh-colored bumps"

Mayo Clinic agrees: "Molluscum contagiosum is a relatively common viral infection of the skin "

[Goldmandra]

I wonder if the British medical community has concluded that MC doesn't need treating because its effects are largely cosmetic. I know it causes distress and itching around inflamed lesions but I don't know of any more serious effects. Perhaps it isn't seen as financially worthwhile treating it or preventing the spread by banning affected children from pools.

[frazzledbutcalm]

cote - my understanding is incorrect ... I meant to put that at the end of my first paragraph. The information I received from my GP was clearly wrong! I'm learning from this, as quite clearly, I have been given very wrong information.

I only thought your post was harsh in the tone I picked up from it. The wording any child visibly covered in a contagious skin infection made it sound really horrendous, and blindingly obvious the lo shouldn't be swimming. I also said I wasn't sure if it was meant that way - it clearly wasn't, just the way I picked it up. But hey ho, things can always be misinterpreted when written down.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Molloscum is a virus, not too different from the chickenpox virus. It is contagious, but it does not make you I'll,just causes spots. It may also last several months even years.

This is why kids with molloscum go about there everyday lives including swimming.

Scraping is not rec commended in this country (uk) as it increases the chance of scarring and hurts the child.

Molloscum is unsightly, but does not affect you in any other way hence the NHS chooses not to spend money on it.

[Heinz55]

My DD's MC lasted 9 months and DS's 14 months. I am positive that DD got hers at the pool but I've no idea where DS got his. I withdrew her from swimming so a snot to pass them on and I kept DS from pre-school until he was clear. I did this because it is such an awful virus that I would have HATED to put anyone else through what my children and I went through. Please don't spread it because you couldn't bear for your DD not to go swimming.
FWIW I didn't find anything to work in getting rid of it. The few of DD's that I "traumatised" were the ones that left deep scars.

[CoteDAzur]

frazzled - No worries. It's shocking that you were given such wrong information by your GP.

However, re:

"The wording any child visibly covered in a contagious skin infection made it sound really horrendous, and blindingly obvious the lo shouldn't be swimming."

Well, "horrendous" is an emotional reaction and it is not my reaction at all. Whether you consider it horrendous or simply a transient infection, the point is that it is a contagious skin infection and it is obvious (not only to me personally, but also, I assure you, to French public pool personnel) that a child who is "plastered in them, on her legs, arms, torso and neck" shouldn't be swimming in a public pool.

[CoteDAzur]

"Scraping is not rec commended in this country (uk) as it increases the chance of scarring and hurts the child."

To each their own. Itching and infecting the bumps (like DD was doing) also hurts and scars. Besides, since when is "hurts the child" an excuse to withhold treatment? It doesn't stop vaccinations or dental treatments.

Here in France, I just haven't seen a child covered in MC. If you have it taken care of when there are only a few, the whole "pain" takes a few seconds and is easily forgotten when followed by a treat.

[Goldmandra]

We didn't scrape any of DD2's because she doesn't let anyone near her if they are going to hurt her. Her lesions still hurt a lot, itched dreadfully, caused horrible eczema and have scarred very badly on the backs of her legs.

I can't imagine that the outcome could have been worse if someone had intervened at the beginning.

[Heinz55]

CoteDAzur - I brought both my DC to the doctor and she (excellent doctor) said there was nothing they could do!!! I would have crawled to France if I thought a doctor there would've successfully done what yours did - hopefully I will never ever have to deal with this again but if I do I know where we'll be heading on holidays!
Goldmandra: my dd's were the same and they would pop and blood would run down her legs while at school. Years later she still thinks she feels that sensation. I'd have done anything to avoid that experience.

[Goldmandra]

Goldmandra: my dd's were the same and they would pop and blood would run down her legs while at school. Years later she still thinks she feels that sensation. I'd have done anything to avoid that experience.

I think it can be quite traumatic for children. DD2 is terrified of catching it again. I can't reassure her that it won't happen because I don't know if there are different strains.

I think treating it is justified if it saves children going through what my DDs did. DD1 had it for a very long time (about 2.5 years I think) and she really didn't need it complicating an already difficult school life. She would probably have allowed someone to scrape them if Emla had been applied and then DD2 wouldn't have caught it and had the scarring on her legs.

[defineme]

Ds1 had it for years, looked so much like chicken pox that he was sent home from school with it once. When they got really big and pustulent I did burst them. Eventually they went away, but not for years. My dr said swimming was no problem-had to be skin to skin contact to spread, so we didn't share baths, used separate towels and so on, but kept swimming. We did swim in France- I had no idea it might be an issue, but as ds1 had a full arms and legs sunsuit and a swim sun hat(he gets prickly heat) no-one would ever had known...
He has a few small scars on his torso, now he's a large 11 yr old they're not very big.

[Cheerymum]

Neat 100% Tea tree oil, a few drops on a cotton wool pad, wiped over the spots twice a day, has worked a treat for my two year old girl, who had a nasty outbreak which was just getting worse and worse from the "leave it alone" approach over quite a few months. Now settling nicely over about 6 weeks. Really want it cleared up before our twins are born (hopefully not until September).

[CoteDAzur]

Goldmandra - Your DD can get reinfected again, unfortunately.

[CoteDAzur]

Cheery - Tea tree oil isn't likely to heal your DD's molluscum on its own. In clinical trials, tea tree oil on its own was found to help only 3 children out of 18. You have more of a chance with tea tree oil + iodine.

Alternatively, you can have them scraped and be done with it.

[gordonpym]

DS2 caught MC at the swimming pool. I think with the noodle they used during swimming classes. His first Molluscum was in the middle of his trunk, more or less, where the noodle touches when they "play" riding horse. With friction, skin cell carrying MC are lost and may stay on pool toys/swimming aid, borders - when they put the upper half of the body out of water and only splash with legs - ,pool slides, bodyboard, surfboard, etc.... I read this in one one the many online dermatology articles.
Yes Chlorine in the water may kill the bacteria, so you don't catch it "from" the water, but what if your son is in line behind another child for the slide, and they touch each other.

I do not agree with the GPs because it is affecting our lives. If you have to turn down invitations, quit activities such as swimming classes. ... I'm getting obsessed. So it's affecting me as well.
So far this is what I have done since Friday:
Taken out the core of each Molluscum and put betadine in each hole.
Couple of hours later, before bedtime, antibiotic cream on each.
Since then, I have given DS2 a bleach bath and I am putting Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream morning and evening.
Yesterday I also put one drop of hydrogen peroxide on each. A couple of them frizzled. I'll take more pictures and upload them on my profile, to keep track of the progress. Yesterday evening, they looked smaller and dryer.