Molluscum contagiosum is a viral infection, one of the subspecies of dermatosis. This is a disease of the surface of the skin, by external signs and manifestations is comparable to smallpox. Rashes are formed on the skin or mucous membrane in the form of pearly white bubbles with a depression in the center. The diameter of the nodule is from one to fifteen millimeters.
Most often, this disease affects children, especially preschoolers. Molluscum contagiosum virus can be obtained by contact with a person with damaged skin. Infection in adults occurs sexually (a rash appears on the genitals or on adjacent skin areas: stomach, pubis or hips).
An infant may have an infectious rash anywhere. Infection of children often occurs in institutions, as the virus may contain household dust. Often, parents do not attach due importance to small single "points" on the face of the child, but in vain. Neglecting a problem can lead to complications. Formations will appear in other places, affecting an increasingly large surface of the skin. If you don’t know what the contagious mollusk looks like, the photo will help you figure it out.
Causes
You can catch the infection in public places, for example, in a pool or bath, as well as when using things of a sick person. It is completely impossible to get rid of the virus, since its molecules are in the structure of DNA. Disease can be avoided provided that immunity is constantly strengthened.
The mechanism of damage to the skin depends on how the molluscum contagiosum penetrated into the body. The causes of the virus can be very different. Infection can be due to weak immunity, when the body is weakened by prolonged treatment for any disease. A rash can occur in the presence of other infections in humans, such as the development of HIV.
Symptoms
The incubation period can last from two weeks to several months. Rashes in the form of nodules do not lead to pain. At first, several formations appear, but over time they can occupy a rather large area. Nodules come in different sizes.
At the opening of the formation, granular white discharge appears, which consists of small mollusk-shaped bodies. In some cases, the rash is accompanied by itching, in addition, there is a risk that some other infection will join the virus. After the onset of the disease, for a long time, it can not give itself away, but be at rest in the body.
An interesting fact is that the period of "sleep" on the skin with a tattoo can last up to seven months. On the face, the molluscum contagiosum most often appears in children, in adults it is usually localized on the genitals, lower abdomen or around the anus. Quite often, the symptoms of this infection are confused with other diseases, such as smallpox or syphilis.
Rash of "white pearls" and the three stages of the disease
The first type is a standard manifestation of the disease, in which a small rash appears on a small area of the skin, and the nodules are not far from each other.
In the second stage, neoplasms significantly increase in size and affect the skin, located in a distance from the "epicenter".
The third option is infection with complication. Formations on the body cause pain, and the skin around the rash begins to redden, becomes inflamed. With pressure, pus may leak from the nodule. A dermatologist will help to establish a diagnosis. There are times when you need to additionally pass an analysis to determine the contents of the nodes.
Eyelid rash
Molluscum contagiosum appears on the eyelids in the same way as in other areas of the skin. Along the edge, single or multiple formations with a white gruel inside may appear. When the eyelid is infected, conjunctivitis also attaches to the virus. To the touch, the neoplasm does not cause pain, the nodule is dense, can be of different sizes and has a skin color.
This disease leads to the manifestation of other infectious diseases of the eye, such as blepharitis and keratitis. The contagious mollusk photos presented in this article will help to understand and distinguish from other pathologies.
Getting rid of tumors
If a molluscum contagiosum is diagnosed, the doctor may suggest that you wait a while and the disease will go away over time. This is possible if the skin lesions are not malignant. A patient with good immunity and a healthy body will be able to overcome the virus within six months. But there are times when it is impossible to postpone treatment and let it go by itself. Then the specialist will choose the appropriate therapy for you.
Pregnancy
With caution, infection with an infection should be taken by pregnant women. Many doctors do not consider the mollusk dangerous for the life of the mother and child, but there is still a risk of infecting the baby when caring for it. Therefore, at the first rash, you should consult a doctor. Treatment will be absolutely not dangerous either to the mother or to her unborn child.
Children and molluscum contagiosum
It is not easy to diagnose the disease in children, because babies often suffer from food allergic reactions. Therefore, parents get used to various rashes and do not pay attention to them, especially if there are no other alarming signs.
But it should be remembered that the infection in children alone, as in adults, will not disappear. If your child has the first signs of a rash, consult a doctor for advice. When a virus is detected, communication with friends should be limited, things and toys should be disinfected.
Traditional treatment
If you have a molluscum contagiosum, treatment with ointments is possible only after consulting a doctor. One of the options is to squeeze the white mass out of the nodule, and then well clean the middle of it with a special spoon and treat the affected area with alcohol or iodine.
Effectively removing molluscum contagiosum with liquid nitrogen. But sometimes this method is not so effective as to completely remove the nodules. Therefore, the removal of molluscum contagiosum by current is recommended. If the skin lesion is too large, a dermatologist may prescribe a course of antibiotics.
In addition to drug treatment, it is imperative to treat the patient’s things, disinfect, do a general cleaning of the house to get rid of dust that may contain the virus.
Home treatment
If you have a molluscum contagiosum, home treatment is possible. There are various recipes for traditional medicine. For example, take one clove of garlic and chop it until gruel forms. Put in it softened butter (one teaspoon) and mix. Then, with the resulting mixture three times a day, lubricate the nodules. If you do not have an allergy, and the skin is resistant to irritants, you can use garlic juice in its pure form or, for example, rub neoplasms with chopped garlic about five times a day.
What other measures should be taken to get rid of the disease if a molluscum is contagious? Home treatment can be done with herbs. To make a "talker", you need a series of. Two tablespoons of herb pour a glass of boiling water. Then put the contents on the fire and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and insist for an hour. With a ready tincture, lubricate the affected areas of the body several times a day for a week.
As a medicine, calendula oil or alcohol tincture of this flower is suitable.
If you have a molluscum contagiosum, treatment at home is also possible with bird cherry. Finely chop the leaves of the plant and squeeze the juice using gauze. It must be mixed with softened butter in a 1: 1 ratio and applied to the nodules before bedtime. Be sure to put a bandage on top and go to bed.
You can purchase the necessary components for a more complex medicine. If a molluscum contagiosum is diagnosed, treatment at home does not do without herbs. To prepare the tincture you will need:
- eucalyptus;
- calendula;
- buds of birch and pine;
- yarrow;
- juniper.
Mix three tablespoons of finely chopped herbs in a container, mix everything thoroughly. Then take one tablespoon of the mixture, pour a glass of boiling water and insist for an hour. Before use, strain the tincture and rinse the damaged areas of the body. In addition, herbal collection can be taken orally (one hundred grams twice a day). Treatment should be carried out for about two weeks.
But before you carry out the therapy yourself, be sure to consult your doctor for the presence of this particular disease. Young children are most susceptible to infection. Therefore, every evening, carefully inspect your kids, especially those who attend kindergarten. Eliminating the problem in the early stages is much simpler and easier than treating an already running disease.
Adults, in order to avoid infection with an unpleasant virus, are recommended to monitor their health, lead a healthy lifestyle, and if necessary, drink vitamins. Any general strengthening complex will do.