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Original poster

molluscum contagiosum Help!

39 replies

balence49 · 21/06/2016 22:25

DD9 has 19 of theose spots/ blisters on her thighs and behind her knees. All in a concentrated area. They have been there for towards 2 years now. We have been to the GP 4 times to be told to leave it no treatment and they will go soon. But they are really bothering her. They hurt and today one popped and was bleeding. Going to make another appointment. Has anyone please got any experience of this and know anything to get rid of them? Poor thing is in bed in tears again I feel so helpless.

OP posts:
Original poster
balence49 · 21/06/2016 22:31

Here is a picture.

molluscum contagiosum Help!
OP posts:
Penvelopesnightie · 21/06/2016 22:33

My DS had them when he was nine and he had them for about 18minths but when they started popping and bleeding that's when they became uncomfortable and embarrassing . He used to come home from school with he's white polo top all flecked inside with blood. But, after a week our two they healed up and completely went never to return although he was left with little dent mark scarring which I would of been more concerned about if he was a girl . He is all grown up now with hairy chest . I think we used sudocreme or E45 cream on the spots when they were popping and itchy .

jemma1647 · 21/06/2016 22:38

Oh I sympathise. They are a nightmare. We left ours for ages too but in the end we had to poke them to get the middle out. Neat tea tree oil was suggested but DD (5) never coped with that as it used to sting.

SeratoninIsMyFriend · 21/06/2016 22:39

They look a bit like they are coming to the end - DS had them and they caused eczema locally too, at one point became infected! But one day after swimming they all looked like they were erupting and we were able to gently squeeze a few out (sounds awful I know), pincering the end with tweezers and pulling - the whole core came out, it bled a tiny bit and healed without scarring. A week or so later the rest all disappeared on their own. Worst ones got a plaster on them during this time.

Try soaking. See if this happens! A bit grim for 5 mins but might be the end.

DocMcFanjo · 21/06/2016 22:43

If they're bothering her that's a good reason to do something with them.

Freezing works well (cryotherapy) and is generally very well tolerated by children IME. Lots of GPs use it for warts etc so might be worth asking yours and explain your DD is actually in pain and upset at this stage so you'd really like to try something.

Original poster
balence49 · 21/06/2016 22:48

Thanks for the fast replys everyone. I will make a appointment tomorrow and ask them to try something. What is it that I soak them in? Iv been reading about apple cider vinegar?? But very unsure as I don't want to hurt her or make it worse. The one that's popped today was big and purple and now is just the tiny scan.

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Wineandzoflora · 21/06/2016 22:53

Both my DSs had this for a long time on torso and arms, and I became obsessed googling and trying any remedies i read about. in the end they just started to go away themselves, practically in space of a week. If i remember rightly its when they start popping and looking angry that they are on their way to dying, think its the immune system finally attacking the wee blighters!! It shouldnt be long now.

WeAllHaveWings · 21/06/2016 22:54

Ds(12) has then on his torso for about 2 months now. 2 large ones, one of which popped and around a dozen little ones, haven't had to doctors as I don't think they will do anything.

There is a treatment molludab (I think), but haven't tried it.

ReallyTired · 21/06/2016 22:59

The GP is right. Leaving molluscum alone is the best course of action. Apple cider vinegar does work, but it is painful. The pain is worse than the problem.

I found the best course of action was to cover the spots with sticky fabric tape/ plaster. The fabric tape was hard for dd get off and it stopped her from constantly scratching them. Individual spots last about 3 months. The key to getting rid of them is to prevent further infection.

Molluscum in combination with ezcema is a nightmare. It was a balance between managing the ezcema flair up, yet steroids thin the skin and help molluscum to spread.

sm40 · 21/06/2016 23:04

dS had them. Molludab is a new treatment and luckily the gp had heard of it when I marched in and asked for it, and he prescribed it. Lasts a month and only allowed 2 repeats before 6 month break. Got rid of them for now! You put it on until spot starts going red. Then stop for that spot. Then the area goes really red and Angry for a day or 2 before settling down. Has left a few small red scars but then he scars easily. They should fade in time and blend in with pox ones he has!

Bugsylugs · 21/06/2016 23:04

Molludab has some evidence you can get from chemist. The advice you have had so far is correct, look on patient.co.uk you can 'burst' them but this is painful

clareth · 21/06/2016 23:07

I do sympathise, as my DD at 2 years old had these for nearly 2 years, horrible little things :( but I think you might find they will start to go now. Once my DD had them erupting and bleeding, they soon disappeared. I think as a PP said, once their immune system kicks in to get rid of them, and they start to pus and bleed, they do soon go after that. I probably wouldn't worry about putting anything on them, only thing I found is that my DD skin was very dry so we just used a gentle moisturiser around the skin that was affected.
Hope that you see them disappear soon

CodyKing · 21/06/2016 23:09

We used an antibacterial soap on amazon £4 Oxti something worked in a month all cleared no popping

flutterby77 · 22/06/2016 00:57

My son had a crop of 4-5 come up on the back of his leg and a couple on his forehead. The dr suggested rubbing them vigorously with a flannel to take the tops off and introduce blood to them to cause an immune reaction. It worked and 3-4 weeks later they had gone completely.

ReallyTired · 22/06/2016 01:45

If you "take the tops off" the moluscum then you risk spreading the infection. The core is very infectious.

The only problem with sticking Elastoplast material over the spot is that it can be uncomfortable removing the plaster.

flutterby77 · 22/06/2016 06:52

It didn't actually take the top off tbh, it just introduced blood under the surface of the spots. It worked though.

maddiesparks · 22/06/2016 07:16

When my ds had them they all cleared up after one of them burst and got infected. He'd had them for about a year prior to that and had eczema with them too. Our GP told us that when they burst this triggers an immune response and they will clear but they don't recommend bursting or squeezing them deliberately due to the risk of infection. I actually got them at the same time (I was pregnant with ds 3 at the time) which I was told is unusual in an adult. I had a few for about 10 months - they all cleared after one of them burst (spontaneously).

Original poster
balence49 · 22/06/2016 10:46

Thanks everyone hopefully now the first ones burst they will all start to go. Gutted I can't help her as she's really bothered by it. She has been bullied before and really hoping the horrible little shits don't start on her about this next...

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TheFirie · 22/06/2016 16:24

If you can afford it, book a private dermatologist and have them removed with a curette. Before the appointment carefully cover each one of them with elma cream and plastic film.
15 minutes and they are gone for good.

ReallyTired · 22/06/2016 17:23

Why use a curette to remove molluscum. Yes, they are ugly, but why put the child through something incredibly unpleasent for what is a temporary comestic issue. I can just about understand if your child is one of the unlucky 1 in 10 who has ezcema associated with molluscum.

Certainly the mangement of molluscum and ezcema can justify a dermalogist. It is hard to get an ezcema flare up under control without the use of steriods and steriods can make the skin more vunerable to infection. Its a viscous circle as more molluscum spots increases the size of an ezcema flare up.

FriendlyGhost · 22/06/2016 17:36

My dd has them. It's a virus so nothing anti bacterial will work and unfortunately it just takes time for the body to recognise the infection and fight it. Usually a year to 18 months. This sometimes happens when one busts apparently but that didn't happen for my dd. I've been trying Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream as I read that helps. It hasn't got rid of them but the spots I put it on have stayed a lot smaller. I missed a couple of others and they've got bigger. Don't know if that's a coincidence. I've also read that comfrey cream is good. I haven't tried that yet but it's my next weapon when I get around to ordering some. Good luck. They're horrid!

Hammondisback · 22/06/2016 22:08

Dd had molluscum 2 years ago and it hung around for ages. I tried every home remedy, including tea tree oil and apple cider vinegar, to no avail. Finally heard about Molludab and asked GP to prescribe it, which he did. Was brilliant! Took around 2 weeks to get rid of every last one. Highly recommended.

rollonthesummer · 22/06/2016 22:14

I think we used Thuja from Holland and Barrett which got rid of them.

TheFirie · 23/06/2016 09:37

My son was soooooo sooooo happy when he got rid of the molluscum. He wouldn't stop saying it:
'I am so happy I don't have them any more". Certainly in the top five happiest day ever.
The curette wasn't unpleasant nor painful. The trick is to be very generous with the elma cream, cling film and a paper tape to keep it in place for at least an hour before. It was really quick and they were gone for good. Unless you have tried it, you can't understand the difference it made.
My son was excluded from his swimming team, he wouldn't go to sleepover, he was ashamed of them and we had tried everything. I had spent ages on the internet.
I only wish I had done it sooner instead of spending 20 minutes each day applying whatever I thought could work.

Avebury · 23/06/2016 09:39

Silver spray applied religiously twice a day cleared DS up within about 6 weeks after he had had them for over a year and we had tried everything else