If you are experiencing unexplained bumps on your skin, you may need treatment for what is known medically as molluscum contagiosum.
What Is It?
Molluscum is a fairly common viral infection of the skin. Symptoms include bumps on the skin that are firm and round. These bumps can range in size from as small as a pinhead to as large as the eraser on a pencil.
The bumps are usually painless, but if they are scratched too much or injured in some way, infection can spread. Molluscum is most often found in children. But it can strike adults as well, especially those with weak immune systems.
At Florida’s Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in Windermere, our medical team led by Dr. Jeannette Hudgens can help treat molluscum with various techniques that are safe and effective. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, contact Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center today.
A dermatologist can diagnose molluscum during an easy skin exam, but the average patient may not be aware of molluscum, or may confuse it with another skin disease. Molluscum can present like chickenpox or warts.
Treatment
Treatment of molluscum is needed to prevent the virus from:
- Spreading to other areas of your body that are not yet infected.
- Spreading to other people.
- Becoming a serious medical problem for those with weak immune systems.
Treatment is not always needed for children with molluscum, because it can bring unwanted side effects. Molluscum bumps can fade without treatment, but many people opt for treatment. For those with weak immune systems, molluscum will not disappear unless treatment is received.
At Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center, we offer a number of treatment options for molluscum. Doctor Hudgens will review your case and determine which treatment is best for you. Treatment types often depend on your overall health, age, and where the bumps are on your body.
Some treatment options include:
- Cryosurgery: This process freezes molluscum bumps with liquid nitrogen.
- Curettage: With this technique, a small medical tool is used to scrape bumps off your skin.
- Lasers: In some cases, lasers can destroy molluscum bumps. This treatment is often best for those with weak immune systems.
- Topical: There are various solutions that can be applied to your skin to remove bumps.
Some medications we may prescribe for molluscum patients include:
- Imiquimod: This medicine is applied to the infected area and helps the immune system combat molluscum.
- Retinoid or antiviral medicine: This also can be applied to infected skin.
You may see new bumps appear as treatment is ongoing. This is normal.
Outcome
Molluscum stays contagious until bumps are gone for good.
While those with healthy immune systems will see molluscum disappear on its own without treatment, many patients do not want to wait and opt for immediate treatment.
If you are HIV-positive or have another disease that leaves your immune system compromised, molluscum bumps will not disappear unless you undergo treatment.
Contact Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center today to schedule an appointment.