My Daughter Has Molluscum? - Blog
Last year I noticed red bumps all over my daughter’s legs. I asked her if they hurt and how long they had been there. She had no idea and assured me they were not painful, just itchy.
I made an appointment at the dermatologist who told me they were Molluscum. I had never heard of this before and if you haven’t either, here is what it is.
According to WebMD, Molluscum Contagiosum, is a viral skin infection that causes either single or multiple raised pearl-like bumps on the skin. It is part of the pox family, more common in children and can be spread through direct contact. They are generally painless and resolve in most cases in six to nine months.
In our particular case, our daughter got it from our community pool and in return, gave it to our other daughter. For both my girls, the bumps were concentrated in one area, but spread to other parts of their bodies through scratching them and rubbing another area of their skin. They looked like red pimples to me, but had a pearly surface.
So the big question, do they go away? Yes, they do clear up on their own, but this can be a long process. If you suspect your child has these, they can commonly get them from swimming or sports like gymnastics and wresting. See your pediatrician or your dermatologist and get the correct diagnosis.
Can you treat them so they go away faster? I am not a medical doctor nor am licensed to give medical advice, but with the help of our dermatologist, we first tried freezing and coating the spots with a topical solution which seemed to get rid of the initial spots, but others flared up. Finally, our dermatologist gave us samples of acne medication and they cleared up. According to the Mayo Clinic, some cases can be cleared up by applying irritating products like salicyclic acid or potassium hydroxide that help dissolve the lesions over time. There are also over-the-counter medications specifically for treating Molluscum and they can be found at your local pharmacy or online.
I think the biggest lesson I learned about Molluscum is each spot clears fairly quickly, but while you are treating one area, another can flair up. We treated each spot three times a day as recommended by our dermatologist and they all cleared up.
If you child is out swimming a lot this summer, just be aware of Molluscum and what to look for.
As for avoiding it, it’s hard if you don’t know another child has it, like in our case. However, if you know another child has it currently, make sure your child does not share towels and avoids skin-to-skin contact. There is also evidence that suggests it can be more prevalent in kids with eczema. So if your child has eczema, make sure you treat this condition to prevent possible Molluscum.
Has anyone else dealt with this before in their child? Any advice or what worked best in your case?
