Molluscum contagiosum

[MeridianB]

Not a Hogwarts spell but a contagious viral skin condition.

Has anyone had experience of this please?

DSD has just developed it and in classic Disney Dad style my DH failed to find out from his ex what the name of the 'skin rash' was so it was down to me to ensure it was not something our baby DD can pick up. Turns out it could be (through skin to skin).

Also, thinking about DSD's school pals...The doctor did not advise any protection/restrictions for swimming but internet says this can be needed.

I'm concerned but don't want to overreact so any real experiences or knowledge appreciated please.

DS had it on his torso for over a year. GP said it'll go when it's ready. Poor DS was in a swimming club & it really affected his confidence.

A mum at swimming said every night put a dab of germoline (spelling?) & a plaster on. Sounds awful but they popped one by one. Looked sore for a few days & then they disappeared! He has pot scars though.

Wish someone had told me earlier!!

very contagious. Do NOT pick them and eventually they will go and hopefully not scar.

I repeat, do not pick or burst them or they will scar and spread and infect others.

I dab tea tree oil on my daughter's ones as soon as I spot them and they disappear quickly

DS had them when he was about 7 or 8? It's a while ago..

Anyway - he had a large patch of them on one arm - lasted a fair few months - then all of a sudden got really angry looking then vanished. virtually overnight.

GP said there was no treatment - just time.

His skin is perfect there, no scars at all.

Infections here too. We've been advised to keep all skin really well moisturised which should help to stop infection spreading and infecting others. Where we live (not UK), they get scraped (after pain dulling cream applied) or burned using liquid nitrogen so very interested to hear that UK docs say leave well alone...

8 Hour cream applied nightly after bath hot rid of DSs.

A friend of mine went to flower doctor person (homeowhatsit) got some weird powder to put in drink and her daughter was cured in a week after suffering for 18 months.

Many thanks, all, that's really helpful.

So she does not need any covering on the area during swimming? Web said the virus could be water borne, as well as via skin contact.

DSD is notoriously bad at washing her hands and we need to remind her constantly so will continue to do this and have yet another chat about why it's importing (now more than ever). Will also advise her not to pick/scratch.

DD had this last year, our HV recommended covering everything with Manuka honey each night, the honey had to be over a UMF of 15 (UMF not active). We did this and after about 2 weeks they went really red and looked really sore then disappeared. She occasionally had a couple popping up over the next six weeks or so but used the honey and they went. All in all it went after about 3 months and the doctor said it can hang around for about 18 months.

There is something on the market called molludab which you can buy to treat it, doctors won't always prescribe it as they say it will clear up by its self and you can buy it over the counter if you want.

Our gp actually told me to pop the ones that mini Muskey had on her bum. Gp did say to wear gloves

they shouldn't share towels and she should cover the affected area when swimming. that's what i understand anyway.

agree, don't pick. i think the virus lives under the skin but your immune system doesn't realise it's there until after a period of time, at which point the body attacks and gets rid of it. if you pick, you risk scars and it might make it much worse.

my girls ones just disappeared one day. my littlest never picked it up from them. i was careful with bath towels. that's all.

Both my children had this, my son had it really badly. I went to a homeopath and it cleared it up really quickly but each spot on my son errupted and got infected. Unfortunately they are both left with pits which i hope will fade over time :-(

Both mine had it - DS as a baby on his face (left scars) and DD on her legs - also scarred. VILE disease. Nothing worked for us but I kept them from swimming and sharing baths, towels etc. Kept DS from pre-school til it cleared too. Would hate to be responsible for passing it on to anyone.

You will all get the side ads now for molluscum be gone (or summit). Tis amazing how they now what we are talking about.

And to add - yup, v unsightly and take ages to go, no matter how much honey you roll 'em in...

It's a bit worrying that the doctor was so vague about preventing spread - apparently he didn't say anything about swimming or towels etc. How do you cover the affected area? A plastic bandage? Or shouLd DSD stop swimming until cleared up, even if that takes many months? She swims once a week with school.

When dd got them on the back of a knee, I squeezed the white lump out of the middle of each one (which apparently hurt a lot, poor kid), cleaned my hands very thoroughly afterwards, and put a plastic plaster over each one. They were gone within a week, with no scarring.

I know that we were very lucky, though.

Ok, NHS site says swimming is ok but area needs covering. It also says area should be covered by clothing at all times.

I had a few as a child. GP said it was the one thing that scratching actually helps. If you pick/scratch them, they disappear, as I remember. No scars here. They must have been itchy.

My older son had it and it eventually went away after about 18 months. My ds2 now has it but it's not bothering him or anything so am leaving well alone. I hadn't read the nhs advice as meaning they should cover it for swimming - clothing wouldn't stop the virus spreading in water surely? My boys have certainly always swum as usual and not covered it.

DD (9) has them at the moment. Started in about April-ish. What happened to her was:
As her body started to recognise the virus the spots got redder and swelled up a bit, almost like coming to a head- oh and itch (apparently). At this point they can 'pop' of their own accord and you end up with a bit of gunk and quite a lot of blood. You really don't want to that to happen, as the virus is in the gunk and it will spread. So after a bath, if any of the spots looked like they were at popping stage (heat in bath brought them up) I would squeeze them using toilet paper, if the core/gunk came out easily they would bleed a bit and it was done. Dab of savlon (using another piece of tissue) then cover with a round plaster. If the spot did not pop easily I would leave for another day.

Left overnight, in the morning the spot would be dry and almost gone.

Cover conspicuous spots with long sleeves of leggings etc. DD slept in short leggings as she had a couple of spots on her legs and they would rub and pop and then start another spot...the material stopped them spreading once we realised this.

DD probably had about 20-25 spots altogether and they are now all gone apart from 3 that are just like small warts on her arm. The big rush of spots was pre-summer holidays so not much since.

DD knew what to do if one of the spots started to come up to a head at school and she had plasters in her bag. Running about in the summer when she was hot seemed to aggravate them. School was fine about it, plenty of kids have them and your DSD will have got them from someone else.

By the way my DD is actually a DTD and so far no molluscum on her twin. They are not lovely and there are some horror stories (do NOT google pictures!) but the virus does go.

Oh and she has no scars.