My two daughters are currently diagnosed by a dermatologist for molluscum contagiosum which is “a viral disease of the skin that causes small pink or skin-colored bumps.” According to things I have read on the internet plus the info from the dermatologist these bumps would go away on their own but each bump might last for up to 6 months and they are contagious so there is the possibility of passing this viral disease to other children as well as to pass these bumps on other areas on your child if not treated. The treatment is very uncomfortable and painful. My girls have only had one treatment so far and only on some of the bumps. I guess the dermatologist didn’t want to do too many at the same time since she knew they would be painful for the girls. I was just wondering if there were other moms out there that had to deal with this and what did you do? I guess these are very common and can get passed to kids easy and when I went to see the dermatologist they had already had several cases of the same thing that day. So I know I must not be along out there in dealing with this issue. – Any advice would be appreciated!! I am torn because I hate to see my children in so much pain / discomfort but yet I just don’t want to do nothing and then infect other children or have to deal with this for years if the bumps continue to spread.
My daughter and niece both had this. We chose not to do any treatments, only covering any open ones with bandages. My SIL is a doctor and honestly believed that the treatments do not make them go away any faster -- it is a virus, so not really worth the pain, etc. So, we just let them be. It was a long couple of years (yes, years) but they are both fine now and while there were a couple that left scars, it really isn't a big deal.
It is really common. My daughter got a small patch of them on her torso. They hung around for about a year or so. From what I was told, they are most contagious when they break open and become a bit of a sore. I watched them close, and when they would pimple up I would pop them myself, clean it with alcohol and bandage with neosporin until healed. She hasn't had a reoccurence and no scars. It is most important to keep your kids from scratching them and then rubbing their face as that will spread the virus.
I see you are from Green Bay. I am also in the state. My son had these bumps after swimming at the Y. A friend of mine recommended a natural remedy. My ped said there is no way to get rid of them except what you are doing. I tried the natural remedy and it worked. The company is called Forces of Nature, and the product is called Molluscum No More. I can tell without a doubt it worked. He had them on his back and face. It is a small bottle of oil and you dab it on the spot. It causes the spots to fester and open, and then they heal. Downside is it does not smell the greatest, but it will not cause your kids any pain except the smell. I think it's like 14-20 dollar range and you can order on line through Forces of Nature. Believe me I was skeptical but it worked. We actually ordered another bottle. The other thing we were told to do is put the swim stuff in the wash right away. I highly recommend this-it will also save you on the Dr bill. My son has been free of these for a year and a half. He swam at the Y all summer and did not have any reoccurance which was good. If you try this let me know how it worked.
my son just had a case of these and i believe I saw one more lingering. The dr told me to run its course but I am pretty "picky" so when I saw the momma mollescum rear its ugly white seed I would wait til he was asleep, take a sterile needle and pop them out. Yes he is a very hard sleeper. I would get rid of every seed I saw although this can take some digging since the seed is rooted pretty good, there will be blood so if you do that route be sure to keep the surrounding area super clean and alcohol swab it and bandaged after popping it. People say not to do this it will cause scarring and it could spread. After I said im popping them they all went away, except for the new one but im not sure it is one since it hasnt seeded yet. Its a pain in the butt!!!!!!
Our pediatrician said not to do anything and let it run its course. Our son had his for about a year. They didn't hurt and he didn't pass them on to anyone else at daycare or anywhere else (including to his sister, who you would think would have got them). Daycare seemed not concerned about it all. In our case, I'm pleased we didn't do anything because it wasn't necessary in our situation.
My middle son had this 3 years ago and now my youngest has it. We have actually been using Tagamet. It is a medication for reflux but is apparently also used sometimes for plantars warts. My middle child was on it for 3 months and it cleared up withing the 2nd month. My youngest just started his 2nd month so looking to see some changes soon. Hopefully you can find something to work for you!
M.
M.,
Three of my kids had moluscum. A lot of the bumps were small enough to be left alone. Because they are located on my kids chest, back, armpits and feet, I make sure they always have sleeved shirts and socks on and don't share towels or washcloths to avoid spreading.
What treatment is your dermatologist using? My oldest son had several that got really bad and required treatment. My pediatrician wrote a prescription for a topical ointment. I can't remember the name but it's new and designed to treat genital herpes. The pharmacist wasn't even familiar with it, but still carried it in the pharmacy. I just carefully put the ointment on the bumps with a Q-tip. It burns them off kind of like a wart remover, so it's important not to let it get on the rest of the skin, but it didn't hurt at all and I could do all the treatments myself at home.
Good luck,
S.
We had this at our home. They started with a few on my son's chest. The pediatrian gave me three choices 1. do nothing, 2. burn them off 3. Used a cream containing high concentration of peroxide.
I choose to do the high concentration of Peroxide, not all pharmacies even are aware of this medication. It was a slow long process and I ended up getting them too. Hine sight I would of burned them off because there were only a few in one spot and they ended up spreading all over his body. I had mine burned off it only took two treatments. But I agree with trying to treat stuff with as little pain to children as possible.
My nephew has it and they aren't doing any kind of treatment. The derm that they saw just said to take precautions like not bathing the kids together, not sharing towels, they keep the areas covered when there are other kids present, etc.
