What does the molluscum contagiosum look like

MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM:What does the molluscum contagiosum looks like?Molluscum appears as an excrescence that forms a bump with a sunken centre. Thesepearls are white or skin coloured, their diameter size varies from 2 to 5 mm. Molluscumoften appear by group of several to about ten and can appear anywhere on the body.For the young children, molluscum affects mainly the neck, the axillaries folds, trunk,face and eyelids but also the abdomen, the buttock, thighs or arms.What is the molluscum contagiosum ?Molluscum contagiosum is a skin excrescence that shows the presence of a virus.Molluscum contagiosum, which belongs to the pox virus family, is the infectious agent.As its name indicates it, molluscum contagiosum spreads easily by skin contact.A red grainy and itchy spot might sometimes surround the molluscum : it is an eczemapatch that is frequent among children with constitutional or atopic eczema.How does someone get molluscum ?Molluscum contagiosum virus spreads through direct skin contact with a contaminatedperson; it also spreads to other skin by close contact or scratching. Though lesscommon, it is also possible to catch molluscum by indirect contact through personalitems like towels…The incubation period, from the contact to the appearance of theblisters, lasts from two weeks to 6 months.Molluscum occurs most of the time on children aged from 2 to 12 years old.Contamination often happens during sports activities or when the contact between kidsis extensive such as in public swimming pools, showers, bathrooms, and during contactsports.Advices:- Children should temporarily avoid proximity with others during bathtime, swimming activities or on the occasion of contact sports trainings.- Avoid sharing towels used by affected people.- Avoid scratching molluscum, it encourages it to spread

Does molluscum need to be treated?Some doctors recommend not treating molluscum, because they disappearspontaneously. In France, the dermatologists are in favour of treating molloscum in orderto avoid the spreading and to shorten the duration of its natural evolution.How do the dermatologists treat molluscum ?The most efficient treatment is probably the scratching off of molluscum with a curette,but the procedure is quite painful, it often requires a local anaesthesia with a cream,applied one hour in advance. The freezing of the blisters with liquid nitrogen is also oftenused. Several treatment sessions spaced out by three to six weeks are often necessary,because of the appearance of new lesions or in the case molluscum are plenty.Other methods, such as electrocoagulation, laser, and local application of creams areadvised in France but more seldom.