Diseases List » Blog Archive » Molluscum Contagiosum Treatment

There are a number of ways to treat Mollescum.

Lets look at some of the most common Molluscum Contagiosum Treatment options:

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy involves freezing off the individual molluscum warts with liquid nitrogen or nitrous oxide. The procedure is somewhat uncomfortable but totally bearable. In terms of efficacy, this is a fantastic option that works in most cases while leaving little to no scarring and eliminating the need to use creams or gels of any kind.

Surgery

Surgery is something of a misnomer in this case because the procedure is highly non-invasive. Essentially, the doctor takes a sharp scalpel-like instrument and cuts out the little mollscum pimple. If there are a great many of these molescum warts, another treatment may be more appropriate. However, for individual warts, surgery is a fantastic, quick and complication-free option in most cases.

Topical Medications

Molluscum Contagiosum treatment with topical medications is a common albeit rather ineffective option. Since the molescum virus self-spreads through a process known as autoinnoculation, rubbing lotions on your warts can actually facilitate infection of healthy portions of skin!

Laser

Molluscum contagiosum treatment via laser is preferable for patients who have a large number of lesions, or an entire patch. Typically, the treated area clears up with no scarring in about 2 weeks. This procedure is up to 95% effective. The only downside of molluscum contagiosum treatment with laser is that the virus is still present in the body and new groups of lesions may appear until the immune system has recognized and begun to combat the virus.

Systemic Approaches

There are a handful of drugs available that act on a systemic level to remove the virus but are not highly effective. The only instance where such an approach may be indicated is if the entire body of the patient is covered in mollescum lesions.

Conlcusions

The most effective molluscum contagiosum treatment is with some sort of mechanical removal of the actual lesions. Surgery, or removal with a currette is preferred, but laser presents a viable option as well. For the uninsured, the downside of laser is its prohibitive cost. Also, the requisite 585nm laser is not ubiquitously available. Cryotherapy is also effective as a molluscum contagiosum treatment and involves minimal discomfort.

Once a diagnosis of this virus has been firmly decided upon, treatment should be undertaken immediately to prevent spread to others, oneself and also to preserve self-confidence in the face of an unsightly skin condition.

Molluscum contagiosum treatment options are many, but skin creams and drugs are not the way to go for this particular condition.