Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Molluscum - advice please!

45 replies

cuppachai · 06/04/2014 11:58

I know this subject has been done to a death many times on MN, but I was looking for advice as DS is suffering. My question is - can it be Molluscum if the spots never actually get very big? DS has had these spots on the backs of his kness, spreading up his legs, in the crease of his elbow and spreading under his armpit. Some of them look like tiny white heads which he scratches and then they look like angry red spots. We have repeatedly told him not to scratch but it is to no avail. The skin surrounding the affected areas is so sore and eczema-like. He's itching it a lot and it's painful.

GPs have said it's molluscum and to leave it to go away on it's own, but really - no-one can leave their DC's skin in such a state and just hope it goes away in 2-4 years! I've searched previous threads for advice and the main thing that seems to help them go is to 'pop' them and get the central core out, HOWEVER this is where I'm struggling as DS's haven't ever got to the stage of being that big that we could actually pop them. Do Molluscum start out tiny and get bigger or are our GPS mistaken and DS doesn't actually have it? It seems to be in the typical places you would find molluscum.

Any advice gratefully received!

TIA

OP posts:

PrincessPotsie · 11/04/2014 05:55

I got this when I was pregnant and must have passed it to DH. My skin is now marked with dark patches where the larger infected ones were. I left them alone and didn't squeeze them or use any treatment.

My DD has had it and her skin is fine after.

Have any other adults had it?

Original poster

cuppachai · 11/04/2014 12:27

We are applying lemon myrtle diluted in olive oil at the minute. Too early to say if it is going to be successful, but new ones are appearing every day. If we could do the popping thing I would but they are never big enough to do it. His legs look a mess of tiny spots ( heads knocked off and bleeding) scars and eczema. the eczema skin looks so sore I daren't use anything like cathardarin or the molludab in case it irritates more. We can't even cover the ones he has as there are just so many of them over a wide area. I wash his pjs and towels everyday which is causing lots of full washing baskets!

OP posts:

Theonlyoneiknow · 11/04/2014 15:18

You have my full sympathies. Mollescum is a right pain in the arse to get rid of.

Stick with the lemon oil, it does take a while. I want instant results but didn't happen!

Have you been to the nurse? We got prescribed fucidin this week for the infected one on my daughter's face :( I am away to start a thread on it actually, I can't see it every disappearing.

ApricotExpat · 11/04/2014 15:23

We love overseas too, so no uk prescription remedies. For two out of three children, tea tree oil worked. BUT only if we applied it a few times a day... Then they were gone in a couple of weeks.

AvonCallingBarksdale · 12/04/2014 13:40

However, when my DD's went, they completely disappeared!! Now you would seriously never know she'd had it. I can see a couple of tiny pin prick marks, but that's it, and she was covered. I remember when we went abroad at its height, they did clear up hugely, only to return when we came home OP, it will go, even though it might not seem like it at the moment!

Kveta · 12/04/2014 19:35

My ds has a few on his torso, one is huge. The rest are just cropping up over time. We have been advised to basically ignore it, but may have to investigate a dermatologist for him, as he keeps picking at them. Interesting that it is so common, yet nobody hears about it until they experience it!!

Theonlyoneiknow · 13/04/2014 20:29

Ok, am being thick here but if it says dilute the lemon myrtle oil to 10% using olive oil. Does that mean you would put in one drop of lemon oil to ten drops of olive oil. Or 1ml of lemon oil to 10ml of olive oil!

Maths never was my strong point. I think this whole time I have been diluting it down to much as have been using one drop of lemon oil to 10ml of olive oil!

Kveta · 13/04/2014 21:08

1 ml in 9 ml would give you a 10% v/v solution, if that helps

Theonlyoneiknow · 13/04/2014 21:51

Thanks,mine has been seriously over diluted all this time!

CharityCase · 14/04/2014 13:08

I got a few myself but basically squeezed out the core and swabbed with alcohol and they never spread beyond isolated single growths. I think the issue with kids is that it's so hard to have a controlled squeezing exercise because 'patient compliance'is low.

Theonlyoneiknow · 14/04/2014 16:16

Did you have any scarring after you squeezed them?

One on my DDs face looks really nasty now, she scratched it in her sleep about 10 weeks ago and it is still red and inflamed

flakjacket · 14/04/2014 16:30

My daughter had these on her face and neck last year. We tried various things, but it was the Molludab that worked for us. It took about 6 weeks to get rid of the lot (it says only use for 2 weeks but hey ho).

Noticed some on DS this morning so have found the molludab and off we go again. His are in the crease of his elbow.

flakjacket · 14/04/2014 16:31

Oh, and no scarring on DD's face

Theonlyoneiknow · 14/04/2014 17:33

Were any of yours scratched or infected? DS had over 100 and didn't scar but he didn't pick at any of them. We used olive oil and lemon myrtle.

DD already has a purple scar on her leg and this horrible blotch on her face where one of the mollrscum was. Concerned it will never go away!

Original poster

cuppachai · 17/04/2014 16:50

Sorry, since the passwords episode haven't had chance to get back on! Lemon myrtle ( we're diluting one drop oil to 10ml olive oil) is working miracles. They are all disappearing! I hope this time in two weeks I'll be telling you they've all gone.... I also bought lemon myrtle liquid soap which I've been putting in his bath. He does have quite a few purple scars though hopefully they will fade in time. I thought once you'd had this you were immune? But when I looked it up on Wikipedia it said that you can catch it again?

OP posts:

Original poster

cuppachai · 17/04/2014 16:53

P.s. He scratched them ALL. He has had eczema since he was a baby ( although until this you couldn't tell looking at his skin) and he has been the itchiest scratchiest boy in the world. Hence, he scratched them a lot and they have left scars.

OP posts:

Theonlyoneiknow · 17/04/2014 17:51

This is the infected one on my DD's face. It has been like that for nearly 3 months! Even fucidin isn't helping :(

The lemon myrtle oil is working wonders on the ones on her legs though. Why oh why is the one on her face the worst! She also has a purple scar on her thigh which is a small spot. Am hoping that will fade, especially as it is always covered up.

Theonlyoneiknow · 17/04/2014 17:51

Sorry, it is the biggest spot to the left of her ear (the others are chicken pox!)

Original poster

cuppachai · 17/04/2014 21:34

oh poor thing :( Has she got chicken pox right now? Apparently getting chicken pox is a great way of killing off the Molluscum, something to do with them being in the same virus family and the body's immune system kicking in to fight the pox gets rid of the molluscum too? I hope that's the case for you :)

Lots of other people have said that they get really angry before they go so maybe this is near to the end for the one on her face? DS has none on face so far but I noticed a new one tonight on his bottom! :(

OP posts:

Theonlyoneiknow · 17/04/2014 22:02

That photo was about 3 weeks ago. The pox scabs have fallen off but the mollescum spot is just as red and angry :-( when she scratched it the top came off and it bled loads but I think maybe some if the crud stuff was left inside and is still there :-(

Will try the fucidin for ten days then go to GP as only saw nurse before.

Not sure if the chicken pox helped her spots ago, think it was more than I increased the lemon myrtle oil ratio as it was way too diluted before and is now 1:10. She also has really sensitive skin, plasters being her out in a horrible rash that lasts for months!

Can't believe looking at DS that he had over 100 of the bugger spots and not a mark on him, and about twenty of those were on his forehead. You can see tiny tiny lock marks on his chest but that's it.

I thought if you had it once you didn't get it again, is that wrong? Arghghghghghg if so!!!

She is also taking thuja twice a day, the homeopathic GP also recommended taking this in conjunction with something else. I wrote it down will revert!

Flip

1 2