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Children's health

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Molluscum contagiosum

26 replies

painauchoc512 · 19/07/2025 15:33

Hi all. First time poster looking for some advice. My 5 year old has molluscum contagiosum. It started last autumn but we didn’t know what it was initially. In the last few months it’s spread down one side of her torso and onto the arm on the same side. It’s mainly the underside of the arm but also a few on the forearm now. We had a few months of some of them getting red and swollen and weeping. They were itchy and uncomfortable. We saw a nurse who confirmed molluscum and said it would clear on its own.

The spreading and discomfort concerned us so we had an online consultation with a doctor via my husband’s health insurance. She prescribed an antibiotic cream and said she would refer us to a dermatologist. In the interim I bought molludab after reading about it on here. My daughter didn’t tolerate it well so we only used it for a few days. I do feel like the spots are possibly drying out now. They all look a bit redder and drier generally, but there are lots of them and I think they’re possibly still spreading. Insurance has just confirmed the option of a dermatology appointment. I’m wondering whether it’s worth taking it. Everything I read suggests we just need to wait it out and I don’t want to waste a doctor’s time. However, I’m wondering if there’s something else we could try that would help clear them quicker. She’s not that self conscious about them but is starting school soon and they’re noticeable when she has short sleeves.

OP posts:
MysteryNameChange · 19/07/2025 15:36

When my son had this, for about a year, it went really bad for a few weeks and then disappeared over a few days.

GoodVibesOnlyPlease · 19/07/2025 15:47

We used the Dr Wheatgrass spray, it made them go really red and almost burst but after that they cleared up in no time.

HairyToity · 19/07/2025 15:49

I slathered in Weleda nappy cream, they went all red and then completely disappeared.

whynotmereally · 19/07/2025 16:21

My son had it we tried silver but tbh it just went away on its own after about a year

Farkinhell · 19/07/2025 16:22

One needs to get scabby and then the rest will go soon after. This is what happened for our child who had it for about 18 months at 4 years.

People also recommend colloidal (?) silver which can be bought on Amazonz but no personal recommendation there.

Mumoftwo2022 · 19/07/2025 18:40

My son has had it for 2 years since he was 6 months old caught it off sister. I think it is coming to an end now. Should only last 12-18 months so not sure why he has still has it . Very annoying but I think it is coming to an end now

jennyt82 · 19/07/2025 18:46

My eldest had this for around a year, I think that as soon as one looks worse than the rest it's triggered an immune response and they all go. That's what happened to my son one went red and looked like it could be infected then they all disappeared one by one

Sundrops · 19/07/2025 18:54

My daughter had this a few years ago just behind her knee,we had some cream prescribed, can't remember what it was but what made the biggest difference and cleared it up very quickly was keeping the skin uncovered and getting the sun on it.

ELCismyspiritnana · 19/07/2025 18:59

My son had this at around 2. I researched and found tea tree oil and dettol was recommended anecdotally so we tried it.
I made sure his pajamas, towel and bedding was changed and hot washed every day, and after his nightly bath dabbed tea tree oil then dettol on all the spots with cotton wool.
Apparently there is a "queen" spot which you need to irritate for the immune response to kick in.
The above worked for us and he was clear within 10 days of getting it. Around 7 days of treatment.
If your little one is tolerant of both I definitely recommend trying it.

painauchoc512 · 19/07/2025 19:18

Thanks everyone. We’ve had a couple that have swollen and burst but that’s about 2-4 weeks ago now. I do think they all look a little dryer so hopefully they’ll disappear over the next month or so!

OP posts:
Thisishard25 · 19/07/2025 23:35

My little girl had them for 2 years. We were finally prescribed molludab. She cried and it stung her but we had no choice to let her cry because they needed gone. Only had to do treatment once.. took a good month or 2 for them all to disappear. We’ve never looked back. Try to stick at the molludab and let her run about screaming until it calms down (sounds cruel I know) but it 100000% worked for us

edited to say: we also put her in baths of milton the same time as the treatment. You could try doing that. Just let her sit in it and pour the water over her

Pinkrosesyellowroses · 19/07/2025 23:40

My daughter had this when she was about 4, she’s 20 now. They were on her neck and I was scared they would get on her face. In the end I covered them with plasters and very shortly after that they all disappeared. So, I recommend covering them up - it worked for us.

7catsisnotenough · 19/07/2025 23:47

Currently using plasters to cover new outbreaks (coming to a head - that's where the contagious virus is) and lots of aloe vera gel on the spots that are healing - really nasty for little ones so 🤞for you!

Applepearpeaches · 19/07/2025 23:48

My son had these for quite a while years ago, the Doctor put a substance on a couple of them (I think it was to freeze them) and literally within a few weeks they'd suddenly all vanished.

ActualAl · 20/07/2025 00:02

This is a link to a previous post about molluscum that had advice and I think I actually link on this post to another previous post with advice!
My DD had it years ago and we visited a Napier's herbalist who gave us some things to try. I can't remember exactly but I think it was thuja that we had to dab on each night and also something to add to water to drink. It seemed to do the trick! I think the details are in one of the posts.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4824117-molluscum-contagiosm?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

HCP22124 · 20/07/2025 10:29

I used molludab on my then 4 year old. It did sting her, but it was the lesser of two evils. They were on her legs and it was summer. If she wore shorts then she'd catch them, they'd bleed and she'd had an infection. If she wore pants, she was too hot and miserable. She understood that for the temporary stinging, had a long term benefit. I think I've posted my experience on here previously, but it really did work. She only had them about 4-6 months instead of the 18ish months.
Maybe see what the dermatologist would try first? I read on the NHS dermatology site they recommend molludab

yakkity · 20/07/2025 11:48

When mine were young 30 ish years ago I was told to use a sterile needle and pick the stuff out if each one and to then apply tea tree oil. Worked really fast but it seems picking the. Is now out of favour

painauchoc512 · 20/07/2025 14:52

Thanks for all your advice. It’s such a frustrating virus. We’ll go back to mulludab for a week and see how we go. Do you have to cover all the spots with it or just a selection? The spot that seems like the main one is flat and red after swelling and bursting a few weeks back but might have a small white bit in the middle. Any suggestions what I do with that one? A plaster?

OP posts:
jimmyeatworld · 20/07/2025 15:21

Can you not just pop them and get the seed out or whatever it is in there ?

Mummify · 20/07/2025 15:48

Molludab. Expensive and stingy but works.

rainbow231 · 20/07/2025 20:20

We used molludab and they looked awful
and scabby for a bit but soon went. Mine only had 5 or 6 though.

Also used a zinc paste called desitin (the purple one), apparently the high zinc content works on them. Bought on eBay. V gentle, is a nappy cream effectively. Some have had success with this alone, if the molludab doesn’t work out. I got this info from a Facebook group about them.

FrogsLoveRain · 20/07/2025 20:28

Find a big one and squeeze out the pearl bit from the middle. It's not nice but once the body realises they're there (by the squeezing) the body will naturally get rid of them quickly. Only thing that worked on my dc.

yakkity · 20/07/2025 20:33

FrogsLoveRain · 20/07/2025 20:28

Find a big one and squeeze out the pearl bit from the middle. It's not nice but once the body realises they're there (by the squeezing) the body will naturally get rid of them quickly. Only thing that worked on my dc.

That’s what we found. We picked out (with a sterile acupuncture needle) each one and dabbed with tea tree. Then we found one was about 3 times the size. When we picked open and removed the white stuff in that one they stopped reappearing and the rest went away.

but my goodness when removing the white stuff which just pulled out like a little bubble or sac, the little holes left behind bled like crazy. Just like a tap turned on. Had to hold a tea tree soaked cotton bud over each one until they stopped

HCP22124 · 20/07/2025 21:49

We just dabbed a few at a time. She tended to have them grouped together so i would tackle a group on each leg of probably between 3 and 5 each. I used the molludab twice a day, covered with a plaster and repeat until the spots turned red. Then I would use savlon and a plaster to avoid any more infections and moved onto the next group. When they were first healing they were all red spots that I thought would scar. The big original one has scarred, but I don't think the others have or if they have they're only tiny white dots. I've just been looking at old pictures and some of them did bleed, especially the big one. But I don't remember them bleeding much when using the molludab.

Covidwoes · 20/07/2025 22:10

This isn’t recommended OP, but with both my girls I popped the biggest one, and after that they cleared up on their own.

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