Human skin is the largest system of his body and at the same time one of the most vulnerable. This is explained by its frequent contacts with all pathogens in the external environment in the form of viruses, fungi, bacteria, etc. Moreover, the skin has to deal with pathogenic microorganisms almost every day.
However, sometimes protecting our body does not cope with the task assigned to it. It turns out to be weaker than various viruses, one of which is a molluscum contagiosum. It causes a fairly common disease, manifested in the form of a rash on the body. Moreover, the disease covers the most sensitive areas of the skin. More information about the pathology and methods of its treatment can be found in this article.
What is this ailment?
Molluscum contagiosum on the human body (see photo below) is a viral disease of the skin.
It manifests itself after the pathogenic microorganism has entered the cells located in the basal layer of the epidermis and caused their accelerated division. As a result of this effect, small growths occur on the human body - mollusks (see the article for a description of the disease).
Their growth is caused by accelerated division of cellular structures. As a result of this, nodules appear on the surface of the skin, having a rounded shape and a umbilical depression in the central part. The latter is formed due to the destruction of epidermal cells.
What is the structure of growths formed on the skin? Such nodules are a combination of a large number of epidermal cells arranged in a chaotic order, and viral particles, which has the appearance of a mushy mass.
Contagious, or, as they are also called, infectious mollusks on the human body, are a benign disease. It is not considered a tumor pathology for the reason that the effect of the virus occurs only on a small specific area of the skin. At the same time, there is no inflammatory process in the focus of growth of mollusk nodules on the human body.
Pathology prevalence
Molluscum contagiosum contributes to the occurrence of the disease in people of any gender and age. Nevertheless, most patients are children from 2 to 6 years of age, as well as adolescents and people over 60 years of age. As for babies up to a year old, they are never infected with molluscum contagiosum. It is believed that maternal antibodies received through the placenta during their intrauterine development provide such protection against the virus to small children.
The greatest risk of contracting a mollusk exists in people with low immunity. These are, for example, cancer patients and HIV-infected, allergy sufferers suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and taking glucocorticoid hormones and cytostatics. The causes of mollusks on the human body can lie in constant contact with the skin of a significant number of people. This happens, for example, with nurses and masseurs, doctors and nurses in clinics, as well as in hospitals, bath attendants, swimming trainers, etc.
Molluscum contagiosum is widespread almost everywhere. You can get infected in any climate zone and country. Moreover, in some regions, outbreaks of this disease are sometimes recorded. As a rule, they are observed in countries with a humid and hot climate and low levels of everyday household hygiene. Regardless of the continent and the state where the infection occurred, the photos and descriptions of mollusks on the human body are the same everywhere. These are small tubercles of a pale pink hue or transparent. Sometimes they are observed pearly shimmer.
Causes of the disease
To date, scientists have identified four strains of the virus, which is the cause of molluscum contagiosum. These are MCV-1, 2, 3 and 4. The first two of them are considered the most pathogenic for humans.
The virus that causes the development of infectious mollusks on the human body (photos of neoplasms can be seen below) is very viable.
This is due to its ability to persist for a long time in the environment. The pathogenic microorganism survives well at both high and low temperatures. A sharp decrease in its amount occurs only with the onset of prolonged drought, as well as when exposed to direct sunlight.
The source of the virus, which is transmitted from person to person, is the fluid that forms in the nodules. After the mollusks on the patient’s body are opened, their contents come out. The virus located in the released fluid spreads in the external environment.
As mentioned above, mainly children are infected with molluscum contagiosum. The fact is that they are more often found in conditions that are favorable for the virus. This happens, as a rule, in the teams of schools and preschool educational institutions. After all, it is here that there is a huge risk of direct contact not only with patients, but also with those objects that hit and where the virus was preserved.
The pathogen that causes the development of mollusks on the body often appears on the skin of a child and adult during contact with already infected:
- washcloths;
- floor in the shared shower;
- the waters of the common pool;
- towels;
- toys
- other people's shoes and clothes.
The virus, showing its viability, often persists for a long time even in household dust. That is why a high risk of infection with this pathogenic microorganism is observed in those children's institutions where the rules and norms of sanitary processing are not followed. At the same time, the mollusks on the child’s body (photo below) appear in the form of rashes on the skin of the armpits, hands and face.
The cause of contagious mollusks on the body of an adult is most often sexual intercourse with a person who is already infected with the virus. With this path of damage, nodules appear on the buttocks, lower abdomen, as well as on the mucous membranes of the genitals.
The causes of the development of the disease in adults often lie in the existing bad habits and weakened immunity. One of the ways of infection with a mollusk is to visit a tattoo parlor, which does not comply with sanitary standards. In this case, the rash appears on the tattoo areas about six months after infection.
Symptomatology
The first signs of the disease, resulting in the formation of molluscum contagiosum on the body (photo of the example below), appear after an incubation period, the duration of which ranges from 14 days to several months. Symptoms of pathology are manifested somewhat faster only during pregnancy, due to hormonal changes in the female body. It is worth noting that this virus does not affect the formation of the child and his birth.
During the incubation period, the virus moves to deeper tissues of the mucous membranes and skin. Here he begins to multiply, after which characteristic nodular rashes appear on the patient's body. The place of their localization is different. For example, mollusks on the body of a child appear on the entire body. In adults, foci of infection are noticeable only in some areas, for example, on the skin of the face, in the genital area and in some other areas. The number of nodules that appear is very different. Moreover, they have a dense consistency. Their sizes are in the range of 1-10 mm.
On the skin of the hands, such formations are similar to small warts. The fact is that their color is no different from the tone of the skin. On the face of a small patient, such nodules are more visible and give him a lot of discomfort with his mere presence. As a rule, they are painless, but sometimes in the area of their occurrence the patient feels periodic minor itching. The child begins to fumble for such growths, which leads to a rupture of the upper layer of the nodule and the release of a curdled mass from it, which is white. It then contains a significant amount of the virus. In this regard, trauma to the affected area increases the likelihood of secondary infection.
Sometimes, without any treatment, the mollusks on the body of an adult pass independently. This will take several months, and sometimes years. In children, abundant rashes gradually disappear after six months from the moment of infection. However, this does not mean at all that treatment of mollusks on the body of a child and an adult is not required. The fact is that the virus continues to exist in the body. The favorable course of the disease is explained only by the action of the body's defenses. However, in the future, even a slight decrease in immunity can lead to the fact that rashes will occur again and again.
Stages of development of education
Symptoms of the development of the pathology in question are characterized by a different condition of the patient and the number of rashes on his skin. What do mollusks look like on the body at the first stage of the pathology? They are single bubbles, the sizes of which can be compared with millet grain. The shape of these formations is spherical. Gradually, due to self-infection, the number of dense nodules begins to increase. And the formations grow in size, becoming like a pea. The disease then begins to progress. Bubbles merge together, forming papules on the skin that have small indentations in the center. Such formations are the main sign of contagious dermatosis. Localization sites of papules are able to indicate the path of human infection. Such formations have the shape of a hemisphere covered with a dense flesh-colored shell. The contents of the papule are the curd mass. Such formations in some cases begin to itch. At the end of the first stage of the development of the disease, their shell softens.
At the next stage, the patient is self-infected through the hands. Bubbles spread throughout the body. Sometimes their number reaches hundreds. A bacterial infection that has penetrated the body provokes itching. The patient combs the vesicles, which provokes the spread of the virus to new areas of the skin.
Complications
As a rule, a molluscum contagiosum disease has a favorable course and does not give complications even in cases where its therapy has not been carried out. Only very rarely do negative consequences arise such as:
- the attachment of a secondary infection that can cause the development of dermatitis, after the treatment of which scars remain on the skin;
- the appearance of significant rashes of large nodules, reaching several centimeters in diameter (found only in patients with HIV infection).
Diagnostics
After the first signs of a molluscum contagiosum appeared in an adult or child, an urgent visit to a dermatologist will be needed. And in order to exclude other pathologies, the symptoms of which are manifested by similar rashes, you will need to consult a dermatovenerologist. As a rule, an external examination of a patient is sufficient for a specialist to confirm the diagnosis. Only in some cases a histological examination of the contents of the nodules is carried out, for which material is taken from the resulting formation. The diagnosis is confirmed by the presence in the test mass of rounded specific epithelial cells, as well as ovoid formations, reminiscent in appearance of the mollusk bodies. In those cases when the patient went to the doctor after the attenuation of the infection, a specialist performs a biopsy of the decreasing nodules.
Examination of the patient aims to eliminate suspicion of diseases such as chicken pox and pustular syphilis, hydrocystoma and syringoma, as well as warts.
Treatment
How to get rid of shellfish on the body? If the disease is in its initial stage, then a person can cope with it through the general strengthening of the body and subject to all the rules and norms of personal hygiene.
How to treat mollusks on the body in advanced cases? For this, modern medicine recommends the use of several methods. Among them:
- Mechanical removal. This method is not always used in children, as it can cause significant discomfort. Mechanical cleaning is carried out using a special spoon, which scrape the contents of the nodules, and then treat the wounds with iodine or other antiseptics.
- Cryodestruction. In this method, the formations are processed using liquid nitrogen. After the manipulations, even the slightest trace remains on the skin.
- Diathermocoagulation. During this procedure, a specialist will pass a small discharge of laser or current through the patient’s skin. This leads to a painless removal of nodules.
- Drug therapy. Medicines are used only in the most advanced cases and if all other methods have not brought the desired result. Drug therapy involves the use of external ointments and creams. Sometimes a doctor prescribes antibiotics. Antiviral solutions and ointments are included in the drug treatment regimen. The use of such funds is limited to a monthly period. Ointments and creams at the same time serve to regularly treat affected areas of the skin. As medications for molluscum contagiosum, the most well-known drugs such as Fukortsin and Tazorak, antiviral pills and Retin-A are most often used. To stimulate the immune system, use Cycloferon, as well as Interferon. Only in extreme cases can a doctor prescribe antibiotics to his patient. These are such drugs as Metacyclin, Tetracycline, etc. In addition to medical treatment, the patient is recommended to use a sparing diet and take multivitamin preparations.
Therapy in young patients
Treatment methods for molluscum contagiosum in children are similar to those used to eliminate the disease in adults. In other words, optimal therapy is to wait until the body itself suppresses the activity of the virus. In this case, the nodules disappear without a trace. However, children often scratch education due to the fact that they cause them discomfort. In this case, you can try to cleanse the skin of the child with the help of various solutions and ointments, which contain components designed to eliminate warts. These are drugs such as Tretinoin, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, etc. These solutions are applied directly to the nodules of the mollusk with a frequency of 1-2 times during the day. The course of such therapy lasts until the formations disappear completely.
To remove nodules, the use of oxolin ointment is recommended. It is applied to formations with a thick layer 1-2 times during the day. At the initial stage, the effect of the ointment causes redness and inflammation of the nodules. However, this should not be scared. Already after 1-2 days of formation, they will crust and dry out.
If the parents decided to remove nodules from their child using one of the surgical methods, then it is necessary to conduct it only if adequate pain relief is provided. This will allow the child not to feel discomfort and avoid additional stress.
Folk remedies
In addition to pharmaceutical preparations for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum, drugs made independently at home can be used.
Their recipe includes medicinal plants, the action of which contributes to the disappearance of nodules. The most effective of all popular methods of combating the disease are:
- Lotions of garlic. When preparing them, fresh cloves of the vegetable will need to be crushed to a mushy state, adding butter to the mass in a 1: 1 ratio. A well-mixed finished composition with a thick layer is applied to the nodules, fixing with a bandage or adhesive. Refresh lotion at least 2-3 times during the day. The course of treatment lasts until the formations disappear completely.
- Garlic juice. In this recipe, you need to pass the cloves of the vegetable through a meat grinder. The resulting slurry should be placed in cheesecloth so that juice can be squeezed out of it. They rub the bubbles from 5 to 6 times during the day. Juice for each procedure should be prepared fresh.
- Infusion from the series. To prepare it, take two tablespoons of dry raw materials and pour 250 ml (one glass) of boiling water into it. The mixture is once again set on fire. Bringing to a boil, the drug is placed in a warm place where it should be infused for an hour. Ready infusion is used to process sites of localization of nodules. The procedure is carried out 3-4 times during the day to completely get rid of contagious mollusks.