Molluscum contagiosum is a skin disorder that causes red lumps or lesions to appear on the skin. It is caused by a poxvirus and is highly contagious and easily transmitted. Although the symptoms are not overly harmful, they can be uncomfortable, and the bumps can easily become irritated and itchy. In some cases, the lesions may appear to be filled with a whitish, pus-like substance, and the tops may look dimpled. This disorder is spread directly by physical contact or indirectly by sharing contaminated items. For individuals with weaker immune systems, infection by molluscum contagiosum can lead to the eruption of hundreds of lumps on the skin.
Many people are unfamiliar with molluscum contagiosum and treat it like other skin conditions, such as acne or warts. Additionally, many doctors confuse the condition with other disorders, such as eczema or psoriasis. Because this infection can be so noticeable and embarrassing, it is understandable that people are willing to take drastic measures to attempt to treat the condition. There are four common ways people attempt to get rid of their molluscum lesions, and each carries certain risks and drawbacks. Moreover, these techniques are also incapable of curing the disease.
1. Curettage
Curettage (cutting) involves having a physician slice the bumps off one at a time with a sterile scalpel. This can result in some bleeding and discomfort as the wounds heal. If the areas are not kept scrupulously clean, you run the risk of contracting an infection and deep scarring is very common. Curettage is inadvisable for individuals with a large number of bumps, as it can be painful and time consuming; if you have large areas of clusters, curettage is impractical. If all of the lumps are not completely removed, the individual remains contagious and can spread the virus to other areas of the body and to other people.
2. Burning
A doctor can also use heat or extreme cold to destroy the tissue of the molluscum contagiosum lumps so that they shrivel up and fall away. Using cautery or liquid nitrogen, the doctor will apply the agent to the lumps. This dramatic technique can be an unsettling approach for children suffering from this disorder. This is not a recommended method for those with larger clusters due to the likelihood of scarring and infection. As with cutting, this solution may only be temporary, since if any part of the lumps remain, they can still be spread.
3. Blistering
Some people have attempted to use blistering ointment derived from beetles to irritate their lesions away, and this method is, quite plainly, laborious and ineffective. The vesicant (blistering agent) must be applied to each individual molluscum, over two days, a blister develops, over another few days, the weeping stops and crusts form, and for those crusts that don’t detach readily, a doctor will be required to cut the dead tissue way. Molluscum may then grow back so the process may be repeated. This means of management is both uncomfortable and unlikely to successfully eradicate the disease. In a few cases, it has even been observed to accelerate the appearance of new bumps on the skin.
4. Acid
The internet has led to a host of home remedy seekers trying potentially damaging solutions to rid themselves of molluscum lumps, without the aid of a doctor. One common method people use involves taking a bit of cotton soaked in apple cider vinegar, a weak form of acid, tape it over the lesion, and leave it on overnight. The thought process behind this is that it would cause the bumps to shrivel and fall off, however, this treatment mainly only works on warts, not lumps cause by molluscum contagiosum.
While ineffective, this unsanitary procedure is also connected with high levels of infection, scarring and skin discoloration. Even if you are able to localize the acid burn to the molluscum only, the apple cider vinegar method has no impact on the underlying cause of the disease, and cannot prevent new lesions from appearing.
The trouble with all of these methods is that they will all cause the sufferer some degree of discomfort, leave them open to the risk of disfiguring infection, cause severe scarring, take up valuable time with wound care and healing and none of them offer guaranteed success.
What Does Work
There is a safe, effective alternative to all of these uncomfortable options: Conzerol® This remedy comes in a soothing topical cream and gentle soap formulations which calm irritated skin while effectively treating the virus causing the unsightly disorder. By using Conzerol® soap regularly, new molluscum contagiosum lesions can be halted while your irritated skin is calmed. Used in tandem with Conzerol® topical cream, the healing process can take place even faster, healing lesions in less than one week. With this approach, you can manage this disease with fewer worrisome side effects, while preventing new bumps from appearing and avoiding infecting loved ones.
Proven treatments like Conzerol® effectively treat molluscum contagiosum like the highly contagious disease it is. Without effectively eradicating the virus, lesions can easily recur on new areas of your body or spread to members of your family. Without proven treatment, the virus can linger on your body for months or years, and the risk of transmitting the disorder remains a possibility. Avoid wasting time on uncomfortable, impermanent solutions and simply eradicate the disorder at its source with Conzerol®.
