One of the most common viral skin infections in children is molluscum contagiosum. Despite the scary-sounding name, molluscum is usually harmless to your child’s overall health, even though it can have an odd or even disturbing appearance on your child’s skin. Learn more about molluscum contagiosum, what causes it, and what parents can do to fight the virus.
Appearance
Molluscum has the appearance of small, raised bumps on your child’s skin. They might look similar to tiny blisters or pimples; except they will have dots or dimples in the center. The bumps can appear in small clusters or appear one at a time. Inside each molluscum bump, there is a tiny white core of material that contains the molluscum virus.
These bumps are long-lasting. Once a bump appears, it can last months before it begins to fade. Before a bump fades, it may begin to look worse, with more inflammation and with the white center becoming raised and more visible, especially after bathing.
Spread
Molluscum contagiosum is contagious. Adults and children can both have the virus, but it is more common in children. If your child picks at the pumps or rubs the area and then touches another part of their skin, the bumps will spread to the new area within a few weeks.
A parent might feel frustrated that one patch of bumps finally fades, only for other patches to pop up. Because of the contagious nature of molluscum and because kids have a hard time leaving the bumps alone, children can often have this virus for several months or even years before it fades for good.
Prevention
The simplest way to make the molluscum go away is to prevent it from spreading. Parents can help their children beat the virus (and prevent it from spreading to other kids) by:
- Encouraging frequent hand washing. Your child should wash their hands several times a day to help reduce the chances of leaving the virus on surfaces for other people to pick up.
- Covering up existing bumps. Put a bandage over the bumps, especially if they are in areas that are not usually covered by clothing, such as on the arms. This helps keep your child from picking at, rubbing, or scratching the bumpy areas.
- Discouraging sharing. Kids should have their own clothing, bathtubs, towels, and beds without having to share with other members of the house until the virus clears up.
You can also help prevent the spread of molluscum by keeping the skin healthy. For example, it is more likely for a child to get a molluscum bump in a patch of dry flaky skin caused by eczema, just because the skin there is not as healthy to begin with. Molluscum can also cause an eczema-like reaction that might need more treatment.
Preventing the spread is often all that is needed to help molluscum clear up on its own. However, some people need further help from a dermatologist.
Treatment
If the bumps seem to spread quickly and get progressively more numerous on your child instead of fading away, you might need more help. These bumps can be treated in a number of ways, but these methods can be uncomfortable for kids, which is why the wait-and-see treatment is usually sufficient.
Facial bumps can be tough for school-aged children to handle, which is another reason why a child might want more immediate treatment in order to protect their emotional health in social relationships. Also, scratching the bumps can cause broken skin, which puts your child at risk for infections.
However, molluscum can be tamed with:
- Medicated creams. These cream target the virus externally.
- Freezing. You can freeze the bumps like you might freeze a wart.
- Extraction. A dermatologist can go over each bump and extract the contagious core systematically.
- Medications. Your child might need some help from steroids to boost their immune system to fight the virus.
Children with depressed immune systems are more likely to struggle with molluscum infections. You can also help your child by feeding them healthy foods at home and making sure they get enough sleep at night.
For more information, contact us at Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists
