Molluscum Contagiosum

I have molluscum right now, and while the bumps can be removed or go away on their own, it is a viral infection so the infection will always be in your body. I'm not sure about the build-up-an-immunity-thing, but I do know that people with hiv/aids who have not had visible lesions for a long time will get extensive and progressive outbreaks all over their face and neck area. In all the research i've done there seems to be a lot of contention about whether later breakouts of seemingly healed molluscum is due to reinoculation or from it never truly going away.

I was recently diagnosed with this as well. I must have gotten it from my last girlfriend back in february. It just showed up recently. I did not know the incubation period could take this long, but I guess lucky me! I even used a condom, but my dermatologist said she could have had them on her pubic region and any slight touch could have touched it of on me. I only have them on my penile shaft and have had them lasered off...Painful. I am going to my dermatologist now and he said 99.9% of the people have them frozen off w/ the liquid nitrogen. I am a healthy athletically fit male and have been told those who workout, etc. Will rid the virus much faster since your immune system will tend to be stronger. Through my research I also found that eating healthier and doing a lot of cardio workouts will help boost the immune system as well.
Anyway, with burning these off I have started dating a new girl. We just had protected sex the other night and I did not say anything about having molluscum. I have not had an outbreak for 30 days and thought I was rid of this, but just noticed two little pin head sized lesions yesterday and had them froze off. My dermatologist told me not to say anything and to either avoid having sex until they subside, or be very careful using protection. Have you told your new girlfriend you have this? My stomach is killing be because I want to be honest and tell mine, but I also do not want scare her off and lose her. Both doctors said not to say anything for I may be rid of this in a week or two. I have had for about two months now. Only two lesions the first time, then a small cluster the second, then two tiny little ones this time. I hope I don't get anymore because this is so frustrating. I am not going to have sex until they are all gone. Please let me know what you have done and her reaction if you told her.

This virus is one of the most transmittable viruses known! Though i've never read or heard of anyone dying from this, you can pick this up from someone just by touching them, and it doesn't have to a live contact. Using a towel after someone who has an outbreak can transmit it. My brother's kids all got it from him after he picked it up from who knows who. His wife and him had to sleep separately until it subsided and she had to change the sheets on all the beds every day. (yeah, she got it too). She was furious over all the extra work it caused them. But they haven't had another outbreak since then that I know of and this was over 2 years ago.

I was in the same shoes as everyone. I used to get them frozen. I had them on my genitalia. But one day I stopped going to get them zapped cuz it wouldn't work and they would come back in more bunches.

One day I was ichy and my boyfriend told me to put rubbing alcohol on it. And I did. It burrrnneedd cuz I must of scraped a wart from scratching. Anyhoops, I applied alcohol for three weeks, twice a day and now they are all gone. I can't believe I wasted so much money on crappy stuff that didn't work.

So just shampoo ur gentials reallll good. And put that alcohol on. It really works.

I'm almost at a point where I want to spend the $300us (i'm canadian so that's going to be over $400 :( ) on the philips treatment system .. I had two sets burned off with liquid nitrogen .. Now I have more then I started with, I haven't gone back for the liquid nitrogen because it looks like it's really scarred up the area above my pubic region.. It stung a little .. But wasnt' a painfull treatment .. Just the scaring is a real deterant for me..

I'm going to give this rubbing alcohol a try .. $400+ being a single dad is hard to find!

My previous and current g/f do not have it .. But I had recently taken up swimming .. It just makes me wonder why did is start in the pubic area .. Really seems like a sexual thing to me .. Or I would think it would be more spread out on my body ..

I'll report back if the alcohol treatment works for me .. If anyone in the mean time has used the philips system .. Please post about it

thanks :)

1. As for telling an existing or potential partner, I would suggest it. I'm male and felt obligated to tell my on again / off again girlfriend when it appeared. At first I thought it came from being with someone else while we were not together, but then (after believing her saying she didn't have it - yes, I know girls lie sometimes) I figured it must have been from some sketchy bathroom while on vacation. If you care about your partner tell them, if you're just looking for some fun and can live with they're getting it and giving to others and possibly back to you, then don't.

2. I've used the aldara cream for a month (started just after noticing it) with no noticeable results. They say it can take 2-3 months - we'll see.

3. Keeping it clean and dry definitely sounds like a must.

4. The alcohol approach is a new one ... Not sure about it as a treatment, but it would help keep the areas clean.

5. Eating healthy, taking immune building suppliments, and getting excercise are good advice.

6. The phillips molluscum treatment system. The inventor looks legitimate, so i'm inclined to think that it may be effective, but i'm still hesitant to purchase. I'll repost if I purchase.

7. The wart be gone and molluscum no more sound like snake oil to me, but it sounds like some people have had some success. It's hard to tell if one's body is naturally getting rid of it on its own or if it's the treatments that really work - probably varies for different people, so it's good to try different things.

8. Life goes on. Use the time to focus on other priorities (other than sex ... Yeah I know that's hard ;-) ). The less you stress the faster it will go away (i hope!).

Good luck.

I've been using the alcohol treatment since I posted... Although the ones I have haven't gone away yet .. There have been no new ones in the treated area .. Which is a huge plus ... I believe the last user said they used it for 3 weeks .. So we'll see.. <crosses fingers>

I'm the person whose warts went away after using alcohol. They haven't came back and haven't been using alcohol since they went away. I can't believe alcohol worked for me. At least for my sake, try and wash your area really well. Get your skin nice and soft and just don't be afraid to apply as much alcohol as you want.

Alcohol is known to kill germs and dry your skin. So I guess that's why it worked for me.

I hope you all try the alcohol twice a day or as many times. And wait at least three weeks. I noticed them shrink.

I honestly can't believe after 5 years having to deal with them I treated it with alcohol. So amazing.

I recently had a horrible case of this... My ex-girlfriend worked in a childrens hospital and must have picked it up from being in contact with so many children (as apparently this is very common amongst kids). She had 3 small spots beneath her arm. I was not so lucky and had about 30 spots on my lower abdomen and genetalia.

I tried the aldara for a month and saw a mild improvement... However, I decided that this was a huge pain and that I didn't want to worry about it spreading or treatment etc. So I asked the Dr. If he would just scrape all of them off with a curette. It was about 10-15 minutes of mild pain (i used no anasthesia and had about 30 spots) but that pretty much took care of everything. I had to go back to get rid of a few more spots but that was it. Anyway, molluscum is a huge pain in the ass and it's a constant worry to know that you have it. Instead of spending huge amounts of money or fighting this for several months I strongly suggest just finding a dermadologist that will currette them off. It hurts, a little, but it is well worth it. Be done with this in a week instead of a year...

I can't stand it anymore.


I have led a very spare sex life. I had a celibate girlfriend in high school, an ltr after (yay!) for two years, and since then (going on 7 years, I think... *sigh*) I have had sex 0-10 times each and every year, and more towards 0. That's neither here nor there, except to illustrate that i'm really, really annoyed that I caught molluscum and have had (to date) no sex for a year and a half since. She told me it was cleared up and you could only catch it when the bumps had whiteheads. Welp, not so. She still had it more than a year after that.


I went for a really long time (mostly due to poverty) not really treating it, and it was consistently a few bumps on one leg during most of that time. Not wearing pants to sleep when the weather got warm spread it badly on both legs. I finally decided it was never going to clear up on its own and got proactive...


1. I cleaned up my diet, did some purifying fasting, and started getting aerobic exercise - the sweating spread it more, the diet made me cranky. However, every food binge (especially fats, and also sugars) made it worse for sure.


2. I started taking huge doses of vitamin c and immune-boosting stuff - a combo pill described as the best on the market, high-ppm colloidal silver, goldenseal in a tincture. I started drinking immune tea. All horrible, and completely without effect on the molluscum, which keeps "almost" clearing up and then returning as bad or worse within a few days. I've been doing that stuff, more and more intensely in an attempt to "snap" the disease, with no luck, all the while eating one meal a day, completely avoiding fats and sugars...


3. I got all the comfrey salve I could find in town at 5 bucks a tiny tin. I go through one every two-three days. I've been using it at every opportunity - every few hours - for almost a month. I also used acne pads and colloidal silver salve. None of it cleared up the molluscum. I think all the direct contact has spread a few spots to my neck and back and am hoping those won't spread too, but basically...


...I'm just about ready to throw in the towel. I'm tired of throwing all this money (several hundred dollars now) down the toilet just to watch it flare up from almost nothing to the worst i've seen it over and over. I hate this stupid virus and i'm really mad at myself for being so trusting and careless and romantic. I'm mostly just venting, but maybe warning you that everything in the non-pharmaceutical arsenal seems to be to no avail.

I will also say that for a part of the time I was treating it with all that stuff, I was applying witchhazel, an astringent. Then it occured to me that an astringent would tighten the pores and limit how much of the salve was being absorbed. Maybe acne pads would do the same, I don't know...


My new plan is just to stay on immune boosters and a light diet and hope it eventually clears up... Hey, what's 8 years?

If you read my last post, I want to amend it... I feel like I was too upset and too hard on my regimen. Actually it is getting a lot better and, although it seems to relapse at the slightest indiscretion on my part, I am confident it will give up the ghost soon. The things that seem to help the most are:

1. A lean, unsweet diet, and fasting.

2. Alchohol definitely dries it out. I'm using instant hand sanitizer because it can be applied more easily.


3. Comfrey salve. For sure. You'll end up using a lot of it if it's all over your thighs like mine. Put it on thick and let it sit whenever you have a few hours; rub it in completely right before bed or whenever you get a chance. Also, you might consider investing in some of the paper toilet seat covers if you don't like bad karma.


4. I know it helps to get blood flow to the area. If you can mentally feel your pulse reaching your thigh skin, that's helpful. I also just wail on my thighs with the knife edges of my hands. I don't know if that's because i'm an angry person or if it's to help.

5. Immune drugs out the wazoo. I got some ascorbic acid (1 lb for 15 dollars, enough to last many months) from a local health food store, special order but not uncommon to see on the shelves. This is straight vitamin c in powder form. It dissolves in liquid (warm is better) and tastes citrus-y, and half a teaspoon is some 2,667% of your daily vitamin c or so. It also absorbs much better than a tablet. "americans have the most expensive pee in the world," say Dr. Zorba pastor, since we all got on vitamins. Since I switched from the pills to that form there's been improvement.


6. No partying. It seems like if your liver and kidneys are working on a hangover for one day, the molluscum goes wild.


I'm not sure topical colloidal silver really helps. I've read it has to be anionized or whatever; super-tiny, smaller than colloids. I do take it as an immune supplement, though.


With any luck, i'll have whomped the thing in a few months and come in under the two year mark. If I could only resist donuts. But I can't

My boyfriend told me he saw something on his genitals, went to the health clinic and was diagnosed. After freaking out, I called my ob.Gyn. I researched the internet, too. Here's what u have to do to take care of this.


Go to a health clinic and ask for a biopsy to make sure that is what the conditions is, since folliculitis (razor burn) and acne can look similar.

At home, you can sterilize tweezers or needle with matches and rubbing alcohol. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol and cotton. Get a good light and squeeze the infected follicules. The pus is apparently where the virus lives. Clean the area again after you finish. Wash your hands with good soap (like dial). Sterilize or throw out the tweezers or needle.


Scarring can happen if you pick too much at the area, so be careful. Antibiotic ointment can be applied with a qtip, but I guess drying out the skin may work better so you might want to wait until the sore is healed and then use vitamin e to fade the scar.

Throw away any sponges/loofahs/bath scrubbers.


Clean your toilet, bathtub, sink, door handles, exercise equipment with an amonia/water solution.

Throw away sex toys.

Consider freezing or having the doctor remove any sores you do not want to deal with, since reinfection can occur.

Wash the area with salcylic acid (it's in most acne products, like neutrogema). You could also use an acne lotion that has this active ingredient (like oxy-10).

Tendskin helps prevent follicule infections or ingrown hairs, which is one of the places this resides... So that can help, too. This is the best product out there, the other stuff doesn't work. I've tried it all bc I thought this nasty problem was razor burn.

Speaking of which... You probably want to use disposable razors and shave the uninfected areas first, then throw the razor away. Or quit shaving if you can stand it.

Clean the area with rubbing alcohol twice a day.

Wash all sheets, towls, comforters, and clothing. I bleached whatever I could. Don't reuse towls, sleep with the area covered or change your sheets daily.


Don't go swimming or take baths until the infection clears.

And, of course, don't have sex.

Also, if the infection has spread quickly, ask your doctor about an hiv or other immune disease screening. Since you immune system fights off viruses, it makes sense that people with autoimmune disorders would have more symptoms.

Sooo yucky!!!

[quote="mcvla"]1. As for telling an existing or potential partner, I would suggest it. <snipped>...If you care about your partner tell them, if you're just looking for some fun and can live with they're getting it and giving to others and possibly back to you, then don't.[end of quote]


what an irresponsible attitude! Maybe you can live with their getting it and giving it to others, but shouldn't the other person be told about it - just out of common decency? Maybe that person that you didn't care about that you were only having fun with, was the girl who slept with the guy who gave it to me!!! It's not just one other person you are affecting, but everyone they may sleep with and everyone those people may sleep with! And so on, and so on! Think about it!

Have tried various treatments and would recommend what works for me:
tea tree oil several times a day until scab forms (a month or more); scab will slough off, leaving a mark, which goes away over time. There may be reddening at the site during period of application. Since the virus is not curable, all that would seem necessary is taking care of the sites as they crop up, once you have had a physician verify that it is indeed molluscum and you are afterward able to recognize it yourself when it does occur.

Follow up to my previous post:
Freezing off the molluscum can result in its reoccurance at the site. Same with Aldera. Excising them is permanent, expensive, painful, potential for scarring.
Tea tree oil treatment is inexpensive, not painful, and, for me, it does not reoccur at the treated site, nor is there a permanent scar.

So... I had razor burn when I was out of town and staying with a friend and her 4 roomates. I have not been sexually active for almost a year!!! Anyway, my very thorough (and nazi-ish) gyno theorized that using towels used by so many people, especially on broken skin, caused my molluscum contagiosum on my upper thighs near lower buttocks So don't feel like it's an STD!!! I'm sure it is some of the time, but why make it sound like you get it sleeping around??? Anyway, she advised only 1 way to cure it. She said to cover the whole area with alcohol, squeeze them off or poke with a sterilized needle. Make sure the waxy center is out and use a cotton ball to apply tons of alcohol, and then sterilize anything and everything possibly touched!!! She even advised shaving with a razor only for that area as long as I used alcohol, again before and after. My precious sister (who loves zit-popping) came over today and we're pretty sure we got every single one. My plan is to apply alcohol 2-3 times a day and if I see anymore lesions I will pin-prick and alcohol the crap out of it!!! She said it will be gone in 2-3 days if I get every lesion... I will definitely keep you all posted.
ps. she said it does not not not stay in your system, & once it's gone it's gone & no spreading to others! So let's all chill and see if alcohol does it!!! Cheers!!!

A number of posts since mine from some time ago. Read my post below under user name 'rheomode' re using tea tree oil. It was, for me, simple, effective, inexpensive and now, permanent.