How do you get rid of moluscums?

[dazedandconfused]

DS has had moluscums for the past couple of months. Took him to the doctor who suggested trying to pop them and put Savlon on. I've done the Savlon but popping seems a bit tricky. It doesn't seem to be making much difference.

The spots are really spreading now - across DS's tummy, down into his groin and down his leg. He also has a couple of nasty ones behind his elbows and knee. Any suggestions for how to get rid of them? I went to a health shop and they recommended some great sounding anti-virl stuff...but it cost £50!

Sorry no suggestions, can only symathise dd has had them for almost 2 years they have at last this last, grown and most have them have popped so i'm hopeing its coming to and they look awful.
Quite alot of old threads with tips on this site though.

my ds had his 'burnt' off but they were on his face. I did pop some on their backs but it hurts!!
They do have a life and will go, if they dont bother him leave them

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Hiya,
All 3 of mine have had these over last 2yrs.
Oldest 2 finally rid,youngest only has slight crop of them over tummy.
You can pop/squeeze them,but it def. seems to be agony for lo,also more importantly if I popped one,the next day there would be 6 more replacing it,cos apparently they are incredibly infectious(The bit in middle is infectious bit).I stopped squeezing them cos if I did they were spreading everywhere.
I did try an anti viral serum,specially for molluscs.,it wasn't as much as 50 ,think nearer 20 ,but it didn't make any diff.(think other Mn's have reported trying it too with no result).
I had success with FUCIDIN 2% cream from G.P. but older 2 had had molluscs. for ages & virus was 'dying' anyway(G.p's choice of words, not mine).Have tried Fucidin on ds2 & makes no diff. to his as he hasn't had virus long.
Sorry can't offer a lot of help,but can sympathise.
BTW,does anyone know how you originally catch this virus,I discovered it is a very virulent virus,can live on door handles etc. for months,but just wondering,as realise dd1 & ds2 got them from ds1,but how would he have got them in first place,he hadn't been swimming for ages,his nursery had never heard of them(which HV said was a strange one-a nursery that had never heard of molluscum!).Just curious-is it immune system related?-no other mum that I know has had probs.with them on their lo's.
But then thankfully there's MN.........

Rascals a child who attends my group has molluscum, so I read up on it recently. Apparently most if not all of us will be carrying the virus on our skin, but the majority of people are immune to it and so do not suffer with the white bump part. Children can catch it anywhere so there is not much point agonising over where it came from.

I hope it clears up soon, dazedandconfused. Most people suggest just waiting it out although I'd imagine that is easier said than done

Just joined in the last few minutes as I was idly browsing and came upon this thread...

All 3 of mine have had molluscum and after numerous trips to the GP,when he normally advocated "just Wait", he did finally check out homeopathy with a medical friend of his and suggested Thuja 6 tablets. These worked for me! Not a quick fix, but it did seem to bring the spots out faster than before.

You can buy them at health shops and they were perfectly safe for my children. Still worth checking out?
Good Luck!

My gp said you can burst them (wearing those medical glove things) and then quickly dab with alcohol/surgical spirit. When burst, the body then starts to attacks the virus - it doesn't register the virus when the spots are unburst. (You can tell I'm not very scientific).

I think you risk spreading the virus and making it worse if you put savlon on, no?

He also said this process is generally considered too painful for children, certainly the under 10s. My dd found bursting v painful indeed. Normally recommended to leave them and they go eventually.

Like any spot, if you interfere, you are likely to make it worse, risk infection and scarring. OK, when they erupt, they are unsightly but if they are not visible, who cares?!

As they erupt, cover them with a plaster to cushion them from knocks, and leave alone. Console yourself with the fact that they are healing.

I wish I knew!

ds1 started off with 3 very small ones on his chest - probably in about April - he's now got a lot more, maybe 10-15 all in the same area but recently I've noticed another stray one further down on his tummy.

I've no idea where he got them but another 2 boys in his class have them, that I know of. Ds only has them on his chest so it's lucky that they are pretty much always covered so he's not touching them or spreading them around.

I just hope they don't start spreading any further as I'd like my younger 2 to remain molluscum free if possible!!

I'm just leaving them - I don't want to draw ds's attention to them for a start - and from reading threads on here, nothing really seems to work anyway.

To answer the OP, you wait...and wait...and wait...and eventually they go away! Dd2 had molluscum on her arm and face. I forget just how long they took to go but it was somewhere between 18mths and two years. I tried to pop one or two but it is v painful and quite honestly it would have been a full-time job to burst them all. One of the spots came to a head, quite nasty actually, but that seemed to signify the beginning of the end. Not all of them burst, some just disappeared without oozing cottage cheese pus!

Ds's seem to be getting a bit bigger adn redder - more noticeable - at first they weren't very obvious at all, quite small and skin coloured. Now, I'd say you couldn't miss them if you saw his chest - before, you had to point them out.

Tell me this it the beginning of the end!!

Yup, sounds like the beginning of the end, GDS. They're gearing up to burst - yum!

Burst?! Eeew - do I need to do anything?!

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I've started/been on a few threads about this as DD1 got them in January and they've only just gone. DD2 caught them off her and I spotted her bumps around 4 months ago. They can pass them in the bath, on sponges, on towels etc. but some children are prone to them (and will probably get them whatever) and some aren't.

We tried lots of suggested creams and tablets and even ended up seeing a homeopath as DD1 had loads and they were really large and when the cycle was getting towards the end they looked absolutely awful and were erupting/bleeding all over the place very badly (particularly bad looking because it was summer and most summer clothes are obviously quite revealing). DD2's warts are much smaller and two have just finished already so I think it's the beginning of the end, even if that's going to take some months.

I would recommend that you do not try and squeeze them because it appears to be absolutely agonising for the child; you risk spreading them further; and, you might cause scarring. If they are not on your child's face or on their eyelids then I would just leave them and let them take their course as I'm not convinced that there's anything that really works on them, no matter how much money you spend. My other recommendation is not to use plasters on them as that appears to delay their departure as it keeps them moist so they don't dry up, dry out and go (Vanish powder is fantastic for soaking dried blood out of l/s t'shirts/pyjamas etc.)

The good news is that DD1 said that hers didn't hurt (even when they started to go and looked like huge septic whiteheads) so I think it's worse for us to look at our gorgeous children with these horrid things on them, then it is for them. The only other thing is that once they've gone then that's it, they can't contract them again.

GDS, no, you don't need to do anything - they heal up v quickly once they've burst. And ime, not every spot bursts anyway, some just disappear as mysteriously as they arrive.