Dr. Komarovsky on the treatment of children with molluscum contagiosum

The skin of babies is tender and very vulnerable. And because any rashes on it look awesome. Moms and dads immediately sound the alarm, looking for the cause. Most often, "sin" on an allergic reaction, diathesis, contact dermatitis. And if all homemade recipes have been tried, but nothing helps, the doctors will do it. Sometimes the diagnosis sounds unusual. One of these medical verdicts is the molluscum contagious. What is this disease and how to treat it, says authoritative children's doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky.

There is a special virus from the smallpox group that loves to “visit” children under 5 years old. It is at this age that babies have the weakest and most vulnerable immunity, which is still at the stage of formation. The virus affects the skin, and sometimes mucous membranes. There are four types of alien agent, two of which are more characteristic of adults and are sexually transmitted. The other two are typical “children’s”, they are transmitted through contact with the sick person, through common household items, toys, dishes and so on, less often through airborne droplets. The virus spreads when combing and rubbing the affected skin.

The incubation period lasts from 2 to 8 weeks. The probability of infection increases many times in hot climates and in poor sanitary conditions.

The body of the child develops immunity to the virus that causes the disease, but the immunity is not permanent, and after a while the child can become infected with the skin virus again.

Papules appear on the affected areas of the skin. They resemble rounded nodules with severe swelling. The color of the rash - a natural skin or slightly pinker skin tone. In the center of the papules there is a visually well-defined groove, sometimes filled with a white waxy substance. Diameter - 1-2 mm, with a long course of the disease, the size of the rash can increase to 7-9 mm.

Sometimes the disease is gigantic in shape (when papules are larger than 2 centimeters in diameter), and quite rarely the form of the disease is defined as pedicular (with papules located on small vertical legs).

Yevgeny Komarovsky, answering questions about molluscum contagiosum, stresses that there is no effective cure for the virus, which is the causative agent of problems on the skin. In a healthy child with normal immunity, the disease will pass by itself, although it may take quite a long time - up to several months. If you really want to save the child from these ugly papules, you can, of course, apply to the services of cosmetic surgery - papules are plucked, cauterized, trimmed and even removed with a laser.

But Yevgeny Komarovsky advises to think well before you start torturing a child because of a problem that will soon pass by itself without a trace.

Specific treatment will require only children with HIV infection and severe lesions of the immune system, often - genetic.They have a harmless mollusc can cause severe bacterial complications when the papules begin to fester, inflame, and the centers of such inflammation will be extensive.

In general, molluscum contagiosa is absolutely not dangerous for humans, according to the statistics of practicing doctors - without any treatment, papules disappear after 12-16 months. In rare cases, the complete disappearance of lesions requires more than 2-3 years.

The rash of molluscum contagiosum should not be dried and damaged at home, not sterile in order to avoid bacterial infection of wounds.

Baths with celandine may contribute to recovery, but the duration of the disease does not change significantly from such procedures.

Be sure to inform your caregiver or elementary school teacher about your diagnosis.to prevent the widespread spread of the virus in the children's team. It is not recommended to use the common pool.

About what to do with molluscum contagiosum, see the following video.