Molluscum Contagiosum Causes, Symptoms, Complications, And Treatment Process

Molluscum contagiosum is a common and contagious viral skin disease. It results in the development of pearl-like, rounded, elevated bumps on the skin, which may persist for a few months or years. Although it usually heals on its own, there are a few different ways to treat it.

What is Molluscum Contagiosum?

Causes of Molluscum Contagiosum

• Skin-to-skin contact
• Touching contaminated items like mats, kickboards, and towels.
• Swimming in hot tubs or pools that have been infected with the virus
• Having sex with a partner who is infected
• Rubbing or scratching the bumps, which allows the virus to spread to adjacent skin

Symptoms of Molluscum Contagiosum

• Raised and spherical bumps
• Tiny lumps that are usually less than 6 mm in diameter
• Bumps with a tiny dot or dent in the middle or at the top
• Pink-colored, itchy pimples
• Bumps on faces, necks, arms, or legs
• Bumps on an adult's inner thighs, lower belly, or genitalia if the infection was acquired through sexual contact

Transmission of Molluscum Contagiosum

• Touching an infected person through the skin : It is possible to contract the disease by coming into contact with an infected person's skin sores. When kids play with other kids in a typical way, they can spread the illness. Sexual interaction is the most common way for adults to get it. Football and wrestling are more contact sports where you can get infected by touching the skin.
• Contact with materials touched by someone who has Molluscum contagiosum: Surfaces that come into contact with skin can cause the virus to spread. You can contract the virus by touching contaminated toys, clothes, towels, or other items.
• Sharing athletic gear that has come into contact with Molluscum contagiosum sufferers : The infection may still be present on the device and spread to other people. Football helmets, wrestling mats, and baseball gloves are a few examples of this.
• Internal spread: The infection can spread throughout your body by rubbing, shaving, or scraping a bump and then contacting another area of your body.

Risk Factors for Molluscum Contagiosum

• Youngsters under the age of ten
• Who lives in tropical regions?
• Those with weakened immune systems
• Who plays contact sports where skin-to-skin contact is more common?
• Those who suffer from atopic dermatitis

Complications of Molluscum Contagiosum

• You will likely experience irritation on the skin surrounding the lumps. It is believed that this is how the immune system is reacting to the illness.
• These bumps can develop more infected areas if they are scratched and leave scars when healed.
• Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, can occur if the disease affects the eyelids.
• Impetigo is a skin illness that appears when lesions are scratched.
• Diffused secondary eczema, which could happen as a result of your immune system overreacting to the virus
• Larger-than-usual and widespread bumps may develop on the face, especially in patients with weak immunity.
• Scarring results from lesion removal surgery.

Diagnosis of Molluscum Contagiosum

Treatment of Molluscum Contagiosum

• Curettage: This is the process of removing the blemish with a sharp-edged, spoon-shaped tool, maybe under local anesthesia.
• Cryotherapy: This technique freezes the pimple for a few seconds using a compressed liquid spray. It is occasionally necessary to hold multiple sessions.
• Diathermy: Using a local anesthetic, this method burns off the bumps using heated electrical equipment.
• Laser therapy : It treats the infection by using focused, light, solid beams.
• Chemical treatment : The physician pierces each mollusca with a sharp instrument after dipping it into phenol or podophyllin. Eventually, these explode, spilling their contents.
• Topical treatment : The doctor uses acid-containing lotions or creams on the lumps to cause the skin's outer layers to peel. Salicylic acid, tretinoin, cantharidin, and iodine are possible ingredients in topical treatment medicines.

• Topical podophyllotoxin cream (Condylox)
• Creams containing potassium hydroxide, iodine, salicylic acid, and trichloroacetic acid
• Cantharidin (Cantharone) is a blistering chemical.
• Cimetidine is an oral medicine.

Prevention of Molluscum Contagiosum

• Keep a distance from people who have skin lesions.
• Maintain proper hand hygiene, mainly if there is a household member with MCV.
• Treat any eczema you are suffering from.
• Don't exchange washcloths or towels with others who have skin problems.
• Avoid reusing athletic equipment that has come into contact with another person's exposed skin.
• To stop the infection from spreading and infecting others, keep the bumps clean and covered.
• If you have bumps, don't shave the area.
• Sanitize things and surfaces that are frequently used.
• Avoid sexual activity with partners who are infected with this disease.