Molluscum Contagiosum is a common viral skin rash. It is best identified by characteristically discrete flesh-colored to pearly gray bumps which are usually slightly indented at their centers.
The lesions may be totally without symptoms or they may itch slightly. Usually they are silent and may go unnoticed for a long period of time. They generally range from 1 to 10 mm in size and appear in groups of two to five or more lesions. Their incubation period is not well defined, it is often listed as two to seven weeks, however, lesions may occur as fast as two to four days after exposure.
Molluscum Contagiosum is moderately communicable. It can be spread from one area of the body to another by auto inoculation. Usually during the process of scratching an active lesion the virus is collected under the finger nails, then when scratching another part of the body the virus is reinoculated. The virus can also be spread by close intimate contact such as sexual contact and when sharing clothes or bathing together. Even though it is contagious, the likelihood of it spreading from one person to another is generally quite low.
The lesions can be found almost anywhere on the body including the eye, however, it is most commonly found in the genital and pubic areas. The lesions are frequently found by accident or while checking ones self for another sexually transmitted diseases.
There are major complications associated with this condition. Their only adversity is related to their ability to be spread to others and through auto inoculation. On occasion they may become infected and hence painful.
Molluscum Contagiosum
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is generally made through their characteristic appearance, by the history of exposure to an infected sexual partner and by their location.
Physical examination is helpful. It is essential to look in areas other than where they are initially found, such as under the arms, under the breasts, around the genitals, in the area of the rectum, inner thighs and extremities. If the diagnosis is in question, a biopsy can be taken and sent to a laboratory for pathologic evaluation.
Treatment
Molluscum Contagiosum may on occasionally spontaneously disappear without any treatment. However, generally most people want to have them removed as soon as they are found. While it may disappear on its own, it is more likely that it will not. While waiting for a spontaneous cure, many people have found that new lesion develop and spread to other areas, to sexual partners or even to family members.
To treat Molluscum Contagiosum successful the lesion must be destroyed. Extracting the core of the lesion through a procedure referred to as "curettage" will destroy it. Freezing, electric cautery and local application cantharidin (a chemical treatment) have also been used. Treatment is almost always successful. After this curettage, a scarring of the area will often occur. Whether there is a scar or not generally appears to depend on the size of the lesions and whether or not they were secondarily infected.
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