Molluscum Warts

Molluscum warts or molluscum contagiosum is a common childhood skin disorder. It is caused by molluscum contagiosum virus. This virus is a DNA poxvirus that infects only humans. There are four types of this virus, of which MCV-2 is a sexually transmitted virus that affects only adults. It affects children in the age group of 1 to 10 years old.

In Children
These warts are dome-shaped and skin colored papules. They are generally painless and very, very contagious. They tend to spread on direct contact with affected skin. Sharing towels, clothes, toys, etc. also helps in transfer of these warts in children. These warts continue to spread and will take about a year to get resolved completely. These also appear on the trunk, arms and legs. These warts are rarely seen appearing on the palms and feet. In some children, it also appears on the face, neck, armpits and genital areas (non sexually). It commonly affects children with eczema.

They are very itchy and therefore easily get transferred from the child to other children. In adults, these warts appear on the groin, genital area, thighs and the lower abdominal area. These genital warts usually occur as a sexually transmitted disease in adults. The warts appear as small, waxy round bumps. They may even have a small indentation in the middle. One may develop one or more bumps on the body that are painless. They may pain only if infected with a secondary infection.

Symptoms
The typical symptoms include a small, painless papule that appears on the skin. It is flesh-colored and has a slight indentation. These papules may occur in a line, especially if they were scratched by the person. These group of warts that are spread by scratching are called crops. These flesh-colored bumps on skin are about 2 to 5 millimeters wide. They do not cause any inflammation or reddening. If they do become red, it may be only due to excessive scratching. These lesions contain a white, waxy fluid inside them.

Treatment
The viral infection causing this condition is limited to the skin surface. After the head of the lesion is destroyed, the infection is gone forever. Most of the time, one does not require any treatment as the infection is resolved on its own. It generally lasts for about 6 to 8 weeks. At the most, the infection may extend to 2 to 3 months. However, in some cases the duration may go on up to 1 year to 5 years. This is mainly due to auto inoculation. This is reason a few people want to know about how to get rid of molluscum.

There is no specific treatment available. One seeks treatment only because the papules may bleed or are infected with secondary infection, chronic keratoconjuctivitis, etc. The cure is to get rid of the skin growths. The virus lives only in the top layer of the skin and once the growth is gone, there is no infection. They do not remain dormant in the body and will not reappear till one is infected again.

• Cryotherapy
• Application of Australian lemon myrtle dissolved in olive oil
• Regular application of 10% benzoyl peroxide cream for 4 weeks
• salicylic acid or other over the counter wart medicines
• Curette scraping
• Laser therapy

You can even try application of tea tree oil, colloidal silver, olive leaf extract, etc. Cryotherapy is one of the most effective cures for this condition.

The infection maybe seen for a few months to a few years. These warts generally resolve on their own without leaving any scars or skin discoloration. This disorder is more persistent in immunosuppressed people, like those with HIV/AIDS. Excessive scratching may lead to secondary bacterial infection of the lesions. If you find an appearance of these warts in children, visit a doctor for treatment. This is because the papules are highly contagious and may spread to other children in school.