Okay, let me first say that this is not an entirely pleasant read. Molluscum Contagiosum is a skin disease that I suffered for the entire year of 2005. The only reason that I have created this page is to help out whoever else may be dealing with it. I was forced to learn a great deal about this infection the hard way, I literally spent thousands of dollars trying different things to cure it, and unfortunately I even had doctors who misdiagnosed me and made things worse.
I don’t wish this disease on anyone, and I am happy to announce that through trial and error, I have figured out how to overcome it. And it’s really not all that expensive in the end.
What follows is my personal experience; I can’t guarantee that what I’ve done will work for everyone or that your experience will be the same as mine. This is just my way of trying to give back and help, so that hopefully if you’re dealing with it, you can be all better within a month or two, instead of a full year like me.
THE DOCTOR EXPERIENCE
It is not my intention to bad-mouth anyone, but my personal experience with the dermatologists was very painful, very expensive, and did NOT cure the disease. As anyone who has been probably knows, the doctor’s method of treatment is to literally scrape the lesions off the skin. Granted, this works for many people, but in my case it was just a temporary fix. See, here’s the problem – after the treatment, the doctor told me to go home and soak in the tub as a way to remove the “debris.” However, after talking to other specialists, I’ve learned the painful truth that the virus actually flourishes in a warm, damp environment. Soaking in the tub actually made it worse. This much I also know for sure, because of the way it spread on me. At the beginning, I only had one cluster of lesions, right below my waist. After being scraped and soaking in the tub, they came back – not just in one cluster, but all over the place.
What sucks even more about this is the fact that this happened a few times before I knew what was going on. I kept paying for these costly and unpleasant treatments, only to go home and spread the remainder even more.
Here’s the lesson – do NOT soak in the tub. Keep the area as dry as possible. Shower, don’t soak, and then dry the area off as soon as you’re finished. Avoid hot tubs, although a cold swimming pool once in a while should be okay so long as you dry off right away.
GROOMING
Something else I learned the hard way is the whole shaving thing. I was keeping the area clean shaven as a way to see things clearer… foolishly. Ya see, not only does the possibility of razor bumps create the potential for an ugly confusing mess of redness, but the razor itself can actually open and spread the lesions. Ya accidentally pop one of those things, and you’ve just made it worse.
Here’s the lesson – it’s a good idea to keep the area trimmed… but don’t use a razor. Use a beard and mustache trimmer, or use scissors. Keep it short, but not bald.
SELF TREATMENT
I asked my doctor if I should use medicated lotion on the area to help it heal. He said yes. Once again, this was a mistake. The virus thrives in a warm and damp environment, remember? Lotion makes it worse! Once again, let me stress – keep the area as dry as possible.
Here’s what does work – tea tree oil. You can find it at any natural products store. And it’s only $15 a bottle or so (depending on the size). The stuff is extremely potent as a natural antibacterial, and thus the bottle will last you a long time. Make sure you get the 100% pure stuff; Desert Essence and JASON are good brand names to look for. If you can’t find any yourself, I’ve made some available to order online HERE.
If you look closely at a lot of the herbal remedies out there online (once again I won’t bad-mouth anyone here, but I also spent a lot of money trying the various concoctions you can buy online and they also did NOT work for me), they all boast tea tree oil as one of their main ingredients. So… why get something that boasts a powerful ingredient in the mix, when you can just get the ingredient by itself?
ALTERNATIVE HOME TREATMENT
If you’ve already searched the Internet for Molluscum information, you’ve probably come across some of those electronic skin-zapper devices. I’ve tried these too. I admit, they help… but they also can cause side effects. The part that I used to zap the spots helped them heal… but the other parts that you use on your surrounding skin to “ground” the electrical charge actually caused these weird itchy spots that took a long time to go away.
If everything else I’ve mentioned here doesn’t work for you, try the electrical approach. But, I highly recommend that you only buy the unit and the absolutely necessary pieces that go with it – don’t buy the whole expensive bundle, because a lot of the extra crap they throw in there is a rip-off. I bought one that had this special “molluscum soap” in it, and I swear I could see the outline of the word “Olay” very faintly on the bar.
But, here’s the only problem – the stuff is so potent, you have to be careful when applying it. Seriously, use a cotton ball. One drop only. Apply it very lightly to the whole area; do not use your fingers, and do not pour it on directly. Then, you have to keep an eye on the area. If a part of your skin reacts harshly to the stuff (usually as dry redness), have some hydrocortisone and neosporin handy. Really if you’re careful you shouldn’t need it, but keep it handy to be on the safe side.
Ooh, and check this out – they actually make tea tree oil soap. You can get it at Trader Joe’s, among other places. Use it in the shower, it helps.
HEALING FROM THE INSIDE
Another big, big part of recovering from the Molluscum Contagiosum virus is getting your immune system as strong as possible. Your body will recognize and combat the virus, but not if it’s already busy fighting the flu or colds – so start getting yourself as healthy as possible. Stay away from alcohol, eat healthy, and exercise.
Another key aspect to ultimate health is customized nutrition. Search in your area for anyone doing “nutrition response testing”; it’s really the best way to get your system as strong as possible, remove your body of toxins, and get yourself operating at 100%. Think of this; you wouldn’t buy a one-size-fits-all shoe, now would you? Right, so, why would you randomly buy vitamins off the shelf without knowing what your body needs? The same point applies to nutrition; have a professional check you out and see exactly what you need, and then use that information to heal naturally.
If you’re in Upstate NY, I highly recommend this place: http://www.backtowellnesscny.com
FOOD
In addition to custom essentials, it helps to eat food that is also good for your skin. That would be anything that is rich in vitamins A and E. Almonds, carrots, broccoli and spinach are the easiest to come by. Fish oils are also very good for the skin, so make sure you get lots of fish in your diet.
REVIEW
Let’s sum up.
1. If you have lots of lesions, visit the dermatologist and get them removed. But be vary wary of everything I have said so that they do not come back. Hopefully everything else listed will be a preventIve measure.
2. Keep the area as dry as possible.
3. Keep the hair short, but not shaved.
4. Dab the infected area with tea tree oil via cotton ball once in the morning and once before bed. Wash the area with tea tree oil soap when showering. Keep hydrocortisone handy just in case any areas of your skin react harshly to the oil. (That only tends to happen when heavy doses are used on NON-infected skin.)
5. Get your immune system running at 100%. This means eat healthy, stay away from drugs and alcohol, work out, and look into “nutrition response testing”.
All in all, this won’t cost you very much money. A couple hundred bucks, tops. And in the end, you’ll be much healthier.
TO LEARN MORE, READ THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Christopher G.
* please note that while I try to get back to everyone who writes to me, I have a fiendishly busy schedule and can’t promise how quickly I’ll be able to reply. I highly recommend that you visit the FAQ, and take the time to read the comments already posted and replied to, as it’s quite likely that your question has already been asked by someone else.
Hey everyone!
I actually visited Chris’ website sometime last year, nearing the end of November. At the time I had contracted molluscum contagiosum and it was possibly the worst thing ever, just the sight of them made me want to hide forever in a closet and never have sex again.
During my initial consultation with my doctor she told me that the best thing to do would be to just wait and let the molluscum go away on their own. I’m not a patient lets wait and see what happens person so during this time I began using apple cider vinegar as I had read online that there were good effects (mostly for babies though). I was desperate so I tried anyway.
After 2 weeks they got larger and I had my fingers crossed that the ACV had some effect and was possibly going to make them go away for good! Unfortunately they only got worse and I was nearing a 6 week holiday. I left feeling sooo terrible and just extremely frustrated at the entire situation, WHY HAD NO DOCTORS CREATED A CURE!! She had suggested immiquimod but it was too expensive and nitrogen freezing which at the time I felt was tooo extreme and considering I was going overseas too problematic incase anything bad happened. Soooo I waited out.
When I got back and revisited my doctor for further consultation, the molloscum had gotten out of control! They had spread and she described them as looking even more ‘angrier’, it was the worst thing ever and my heart dropped I literally thought this was it never will I ever be able to have sex again and I can forget about relationships completely. Time to buy 5 cats and become a lonely cat lady. I was kicking myself so hard for not having at least completed the nitrogen freezing!! Anyway, back to the point I put my foot down and got her to start the nitrogen treatment straight away, if I had any chance at it at all I was going to take it.
She warned me about the pain (seeing as the area down there is so sensitive!) as well as the potential for scarring in the future provided it worked. I agreed and we went ahead with the procedure I completed it twice over 2 weeks. It’s really tough since the nitrogen causes the molluscum things to actually ‘scar’ over and it looks even worse! (Tip: Try not to look down there too much unless you’re cleaning the area!) It was the worst timing for all of this to be happening as well as I was undergoing a recruitment process as a new graduate and at a time where I needed the most self-confidence instead I found it to be plumetting by the second.
I did a lot of research on molluscum and had purchased the tea tree oil before I had gone overseas and before I had started the nitrogen process was using it 4-5 days a week. Looking back I only wish I had started using it earlier and had been more persistent, because that stuff really WORKS!! I mean I can never promise or guarantee how long it takes but I think a combination of the tea tree oil as well as the nitrogen freezing ‘triggering’ my body really helped kick my immune system in the butt to get it working to fight off the little bastards (excuse my french).
Please remember to really keep your immune system at its full 100%, since I was always feeling under the weather due to having molloscum thoughts in my head all day (ew I know) I spent any little free time I had exercising and eating healthy. It was honestly the best feeling that day (I know maybe a bit too much info here) but in the shower and actually seeing/feeling the bumps having gotten smaller. It almost sounds silly but once you get into the mindset of knowing that your body is strong and can beat off a pesky little pox virus and you’re on the road to recovery everything just happens so much faster. I kept with the tea tree oil and exercising and after a week they had all
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story, and I’m so happy to hear that you’re free of this now. I’m sure your story will help others too!
dissapeared!! It was the best feeling ever, all I was left with were a few scars. Finally the end of my 3 and a half month molloscum journey (or should I say nightmare!!). I have a very healthy sex life now and still try and keep an eye out for them but thank goodness there is nothing! They’re gone for good
I cannot express how happy I was and how glad all thats left are scars, they’re quite minimal still visible, but I am working on trying to get rid of them. I guess I just wanted to share my story after stumbling back on this website to encourage and let anyone out there whose feeling frustrated or annoyed that YOU CAN BEAT IT
and YOU WILL BEAT IT! Just be persistent and DON’T LET IT TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE, the more you think about it the stronger it gets and I am 100% serious about this haha
Hope this was helpful to anyone considering nitrogen freezing as well – for me it was the ‘trigger’ that kicked my immune system but of course at the same time it is what created the scarring. Best of luck, stay strong
I just started using the Desert oil you said to try. I’ve noticed slight fading already, but it’s small. I haven’t gone to a doctor to officially say I have this, but it looks just like what everyone is saying. My question to you, if I stay healthy, keep the oil 2x daily on them all, what do you think is the quickest recovery time I could see? I know everyone is different, just curious what the fastest recovery you have heard of.
Thanks, and your advice is amazing. You truly deserve a medal or something.
The absolute fastest success story I’ve heard was 1 week, and that was when applied to a small child that had a few bumps on their arm. Typically for adults the healing time ranges from 2 weeks to months. And very often, it’s 2 weeks of no obvious results as the oil begins to really “sink in” and work, followed by an accelerated process of the lesions shrinking and fading. With me it was about 3 weeks total. So be patient and consistent with it, hang in there, and if you’re already seeing some results then you’ll likely see even better results very soon.
Hi, I’ve been dealing with molluscum for a little over a year now. I finally went to the derm last month and he told me they would fade over time. My patience is running low. I am going to be starting at a new school soon, and I do not need all the kids asking me about the little red bumps on my right leg. The derm actually told me to keep shaving to knock the tops off. I have stopped shaving for now but that’s not really helping my self confidence. How long does it take the molluscum to go away after beginning the tea oil treatment? Can I continue shaving after they go away? Do they come back if I discontinue treatment? Thank you for writing this article, it has been a real eye opener.
Ugh, the doctor told you to shave?! That’s horrible advice; shaving is one of the easiest ways to spread the virus, by popping the lesions and exposing the core. Geesh. I’m surprised by that.
So, STOP shaving. That’s my first advice. If hair removal is essential try a gentler approach like nair. And to answer your question, using the oil tends to get results ranging anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on how many lesions there are and how mature they are.
My advice in returning to normal routines is to give it a full 2 weeks after the lesions are gone, to ensure that none are coming back. If no new lesions appear, then it’ll be safe to resume sexual activity, shaving, swimming, all the normal things. But in the meantime, you need to be strict with yourself in applying the oil, keeping the area as dry as possible, and not shaving. I hope this helps; hang in there, and I’ll pray that you recover before school starts.
Don’t let them tell you to do nothing! You need to treat them ASAP or they keep spreading! I posted some helpful hints on what seems to be working so far with my family. Good luck!
I instinctively went to use tea tree on my 5 year-old. I do have a question about salt baths–are these helpful?
We were in NY and my daughter had her feet in the ocean and I noticed two little MC bumps on her feet seemed to go away. Now back in California, I’m debating about taking her over to Santa Cruz to wash her legs in the ocean.
Any comments on this?
Thanks!!!!
Nicole,
You know, I actually have had a couple people report success using heavy salt treatments, but I never tried it myself. One of my core tenants is to keep the area as dry as possible, so a bath seems contrary to that, but if the salt does the trick, then give it a try, just be careful to dry off quickly afterwards so that the skin doesn’t stay in a warm, moist state afterwards.
If it works, by all means share your results; we don’t all have access to an ocean but there are other ways to get salt, heh. Best of luck!
Thanks for putting your experience out there for all of us to learn from. My 2 1/2 year old son got 1 molluscum bump on the IDE of his face a few months ago. I had never heard of it before nd was upset by it. My pediatrician said to leave it and it would go away on its own. Thank god it turned red, stabbed & came off last week. There’s still a slight red spot tha I’m expecting to disappear soon. However, I just noticed a whole lot of molluscum on his scrotum and I just want to get rid of them. After reading all that you wrote I’m going to go to my local health food sore to see if they carry tea tree oil. The problem I have is how too keep the area dry if he is still in pampers. Also he recently had a diaper rash & I applied cream to the entire area, now I’m wondering if that made it worse. What can I do to get rid of it?
That’s tough; I’d suggest instead of using cream try recreo powder for the diaper rash and to keep the area clean, it’s what I use on my baby – http://www.recreopowder.com. And just check the area frequently if possible to prevent him from staying wet – although the powder should help to create a protective film as well to help.
And yes the tea tree oil is safe on toddlers, just apply it super thinly. Also keep baths super short and dry off fully afterwards, followed by using the oil. That combination has worked wonders for many parents in your same situation I’ve talked to, so… I hope this helps, and best of luck.
Hi Chris,
I first got MC in February and after using Condylox from the doctor they went away (they were in the genital area). They came back about a month ago in the last week of June. The ones in the pubic area have faded, but they have spread to some on my butt, legs, face, and arms. (I went ahead and got Tea Tree Oil today and plan on only using it.) I think the outbreak may be from the heat of summer and working out. I can’t really get away from the heat of summer (the sweating from it), but I was wondering about the exercise. I sweat a lot when I exercise and I work out everyday. I would hate to stop working out. I shower right after, but I work out for an hour or two. Any tips? -Derek
That got me too – we want to keep the immune system strong, and that means exercise, but we don’t want to sweat. A damn conundrum. I was also doing 2-3 hour sessions of training.
I found that if I showered immediately afterwards, then dried off fully, then applied the tea tree oil, that it seemed to keep the virus at bay. What you want to avoid is that damp soggy feeling following you around all day, and it sounds like you’re already on the right track there. So get the oil, be vigilant and careful, and it should help.
I’ve been battling my 3 year old son’s MC bumps for a few months now after reading this page. The doc said to just wait it out, but they spread around his belly until he had a couple of those little f***ers right next to his cock ‘n’ balls; it was time to act.
Anyhoo, it has kept them from spreading and a bunch of them disappeared after about three weeks. Some of them shrunk up and just stayed for a month until I gently squeezed the little bumps like a zit so that the middles popped out. They were completely gone after that with no scar. The only scars he has are from the mature ones that he managed to scratch off.
Thanks for this page and your advice! I know you don’t recommend popping them, but it his case it’s been the only way to completely remove the lump after the tea tree oil has shrunk it up.
Cheers, Pappa J
I’ll allow this comment, but I still don’t fully agree – in my experience that white core would eventually fade and disappear, so there’d be no need to pop the spots. But if anyone else experiences this same thing, where it dries but doesn’t go away, then consider this a success story that it did work for someone.
And I’m glad you decided to act, and that my advice came in handy.
Hi Christopher -
Thank you for the posting. My daughter is 9 yrs old and we have been dealing with MC bumps with the dermatologist for the past 2 months. Her skin was only getting worse until a couple weeks ago we traveled to Spain and one of the Pharmacist suggested taking her to the beach. Luckily for us, we were staying on the beach. After two baths a day in salt water for 2 weeks, she is 100% cured. For anyone living next to the ocean, make sure just to soak in salt water daily and it will take away all bumps.
Once again, this site I’m sure has already helped many.
Rebeca,
You’re the third person to write in with a similar success story; for those with access to salt water, this is a very interesting solution and surprises me a little, but it seems to be working for folks. Thanks for sharing!
my kids have had this for 2 years now and I started your TTO a couple days ago. I was wondering in your time dealing with this have you ever had someone tell you that it eventually cleared up on its own?? I went to 3 different docs before I found your blog and thats what they ALL said to me. the last one did burn 3 off. Im just curious if anyone has ever beaten it by just waiting it out. Also congrats on your new job!
Actually, not that I can think of… but I’ve probably had 50-100 angry parents (angry at their doctor, not me) write to me that their doc suggested the same thing, and then after my method their kids were cleared up in a couple weeks. I’ve written in where possible to “the doctors” with what I know, but only received marginal response.
I hope the oil works for your kids; write back with any questions, I’ll do what I can to help.
Thanks so much for this page. I’ve been struggling for almost a year now with this nonsense on my thighs. I recently put the cantharone blistering agent on there and got a bunch of painful, blood blisters. They healed within a weak, but the MC spots seem to still have smaller lesions on them that are itchy.
Does itching make it worse?
Well I can’t offer advice on a blistering agent that I’ve never tried, but… it sounds painful. And itchy skin is no fun, especially when scratching the lesions can cause them to pop and then spread the virus. I’d say avoid itching where possible, and get some hydrocortizone to soothe the itchy areas – its consistency will soothe the skin, but won’t spread the virus like a cream or lotion would.
If more lesions appear, try my tea tree oil method instead of more “blistering agent” – applied properly it’s much more gentle and effective in my experience.
Thank for the advice. I have 5yr old twin girls, one twin got mc last year and being ignorant i took her to a derm who burnt them off and prescribed tar mixture. They did go away thankfully. The other twin has now got on her chin, and spreading rapidly all over now. I noticed last night she has tons right inside her bottom
its terrible! Im going to buy some Tea Tree Oil today and stop the long baths. Hoping for a miracle. These things are a nightmare.
Ok, yes that will help – on some children parents have written to me that they had better success applying the oil ONLY to the lesions and not the surrounding skin – most notably in kids with sensitive skin or eczema – so just bear that in mind as you apply the oil, especially in that location. I hope this helps – hang in there.
We’ve been dealing with Molluscum with our 3 children for about 4 months..it started as 1 bump and then spread to 10 on my son, and then I noticed it on my other two children. My youngest and most active has one lesion on his face:( I also read several blogs and a lot of people recommend bathing and popping. I Think the main reason I have been able to contain this to just a few lesions is due to the fact that we have stayed far away from the tub since my kids were infected and we don’t pop the lesions. After the doctor confirmed we had molluscum she said do nothing. I am so glad I didn’t listen otherwise we would have 8,000 bumps by now. I kept them covered with wart remover that keeps a kind of white coating over top until we could get to the dermatologist. Which she actually praised me for it probably kept them from spreading! Every time I saw a new one I would cover it with the wart remover that coats and then run back to the derm to get them treated right away.
We are having some success I would like to share what we have been doing:
I went to Walmart and bought white towels, wash cloths and sheets, I change them every night, bleach them with every wash. The kids go to bed every night with winter PJs on to keep them from spreading to other areas of their body. We have gone to the derm. and had most of the lesion treated with cathdrin (spelling) or “beetle juice”. Which is a toxin from a beetle. My kids had to have it applied for 1 hour and then wash it off. It will blister and then pop, it is mostly painless until they pop. I kept it covered with a bandaid applying a fresh one on daily until it popped. Once it popped I would clean it with peroxide and apply neosporin. Then I would clean the surrounding skin with rubbing alcohol to prevent any little germs trying to infect us again from forming. When it started to “scab” or look “dry” I would leave it open to air under longsleeve PJ’s while sleeping. Keeping it covered during the day if in an area not easily covered by clothing. All this is done every other day or daily with SHOWERING! NO TUB BATHS! I then clean the bathroom with either lysol spray or clorox wipes after. My oldest son who had 10 lesions is now down to 2, and if all goes well he will be molluscum free soon because they have popped with the latest round from the derm. My daughter had 3 on her elbow which have all resolved with the treatment by the derm and the dedicated cleaning and bandaging of the wound and she is currently molluscum free. My little boy had 4 on his trunk which are all gone now thanks to the derm, we are just left with one pesky one on his face that she didn’t want to treat being that it is so close to his eye. I have been putting tretoin cream (it’s for acne) on his face, it appears to be drying up, I hope it goes away soon. I feel such high anxiety because one bump may cause me to have to do this all over again:( If anyone has had any luck with facial molluscum I would appreciate some input!
I also would like to put my two cents on what didn’t work
1) Apple Cider Vinger- didn’t do anything but burn their skin
2) Zymaderm- absolute expensive crap
3) Tee Tree Oil seemed to shrink them and I will say I had one bump fall off with treatment but it didn’t seem to work effectively or quickly I may try it again for my son’s face. I will caution other people with an experience we had with my super sensitive older son. He developed pityraisis psoriasis with the use of tee tree and I had to stop using it on him.
4) Wart remover- doesn’t work well, some lesions were irritated by it and initiated the healing phase, but didn’t do it for all lesions
5) pimple cream- I found one by clearsil that I’ve been using for 4 months on my son’s face, doesn’t work, but does seem to put this sort of clear coating over the bump to keep it from spreading
This is all that I have learned as well! Please continue to share so that we can all be molluscum free!
Thank you!
Also, I used several cotton balls and q tips during the treatment of my kids. New Q tip with each application of each bump with neosporin. Careful, not to spread the virus. Go to Costco and stock up! I noticed the bumps get infected easily once they have popped so every bump gets neosporin. I also wash all my kids in the shower using probably 3 or more wash cloths. One for each area of their body. As we all know if you scratch the lesion you can spread it. I just don’t know how much “scratching” of the lesion we do while washing. The area that is infected by the bumps gets its own wash cloth. I wash my hands several times while washing my kids in the shower. Trying to be as clean as possible.
Thanks for sharing; I may make a new post just to share your story, if that’s alright; I’m all for getting as much helpful information out there as possible, especially since I can’t promise or guarantee that my methods and tips will work for absolutely everyone.
Well, here is my story. I woke up one day back in April of 2013 and noticed this one red bump in my private area. After about a week there were two then three, then I really freaked out. After approximately 3-4 weeks of waiting for this stuff to go away, I went to a dermatologist to get checked out. He diagnosed me with MC. I asked how I contracted the virus, because I am a married man and only have sexual intercourse with my wife. He said that it could be contracted by wet towels, public toilets or many other ways….I was baffled, so I started reading and trying to learn about it. What I found was, that although not common, but it could be contracted by other methods other than sex. So, this really freaked me out because i did not want to pass it on to my kids or my wife. In any case, I have been very careful for over 4 months, waiting for this to go away, but nothing. I finally read this website and went straight out and purchased tree tea oil (Melaleuca by DoTerra), which I have been using for a week. I had approximately three bumps in my inner thighs and after about 3-4 days, I have not seen any more bumps. I am still crossing my fingers, but as of this post still pretty clear. My only problem now, is that it had already spread to my buttocks area. My question to you is, the following: Do you have any special advice on treating the butt cheeks areas? Secondly, how in the hell does it spread back there? I’m a little worried, that it might spread to other areas. Thanks for this site and wishing every one luck with this pesky virus.
Pesky indeed. And honestly, most of the people I talk to about this got it from something other than sex. A hot tub, a locker room, hard to say. That’s likely how it spread on you – and you’re NOT the only one that’s happened to, trust me.
I still say to use the oil there, just very thinly. And the virus shouldn’t spread if you keep things dry, clean, and don’t pop any lesions yourself. And just keep an eye out in case the virus has spread to another area and it currently growing under the skin – it’s scary but it can happen. Hopefully you’re catching it in an early enough stage that it’s mostly contained – just attack any potential new spot with the oil and you should be okay. And keep with it – one week usually isn’t enough time to tell if it’s fully working, so be patient and consistent there. I hope this help!
Hey,
I have had small bumps on my toes for the past three years and my idiot doctor kept telling me they were warts, just at the beginning of this year they spread to my fingers and my doctor just referred me to a dermatologist with whom I have an appointment with in four months and this was really only to get rid of me. I’m really angry because my treatment keeps getting prolonged, it actually now appears to have spread to my cheek and my doctor has done absolutely nothing to help me (he basically tells me they’ll go away on their own as hes slowly walking out of the examination room). I finally went to a walk in clinic and the doctor told me that the small bumps are molluscum contagiousum. But looking at images of other peoples infection, I’m still worried that this may not be what I have. My bumps look like there is a tiny white ball underneath my skin, I do not have a small growth on top of my skin which is what a lot of the images I’ve seen of this look like. It looks almost like a pimple but without the redness of the skin, its shiny and skin colored. The question I wanted to ask you was if any of your bumps looked similar to this, I’m wondering if there is any variation in how these may look? I definitely plan to try the tea tree oil treatment. And thank you very much for writing this, you have no idea how much this calmed me down, especially after the frustration I’ve had with my doctor I felt helpless, its been almost four years since they first appeared. Also, do you know if it is safe to used the tea tree oil on the face? Thanks!
More doctors saying to do nothing… man I’m tired of hearing that crap. (Nothing against you – I’m annoyed at THEM.) As to your question – remember, the tea tree oil is a natural remedy, a natural anti-viral and disinfectant – it’s not “molluscum away” or anything like that. Tea tree oil has multiple uses – I know people that have used it as an aftershave (diluted with water), on pimples or zits, or even on small scratches and such to keep them from getting infected. So I’m inclined to think that whatever you have, the oil should help.
Yes, it’s safe on the face, just apply super thinly and only spread where the lesions are. If you experience any irritation or the aroma/scent gets to you, wait 10 minutes and then wash it off; that should give it enough time to sink in and work without following you around all day.
I hope this helps; hang in there!
Hi Chris,
First and foremost, thank you so much for helping unselfishly!! My son (8 yrs) has molluscum. I googled for days trying to find a cure. Trust me we tried everything. When I found your site it was such a relief to us as a family! We started with the tea tree oil aprox 5 months ago. It surely helped! However we once used a towel to wipe our sons body after a shower and as we dried him off it must have spread. From his neck to his legs to his bum to his back. He stopped playing sports as I did not want him to sweat or transfer this to another child! Devastating to him!!! I then heard of another product that helped a child called Fucidine ointment. It costs ZAR 100 or $10 (South Africa). Trust me this works!!!!! I alternate using the tea tree and Fucidine (product made by Adcock Ingram Limited). I am no doctor just a concerned mother. I was however told that one must not use this on excema. Hope this helps.
Wendy, thanks for sharing; glad to hear of something else that did the trick, hopefully other parents can benefit from your experience, which of course is the whole point of this blog. I hope your son is able to return to sports and such soon.
Hey Chris and all. I just wanted to share my story because I am officially cleared of molluscum. Probably the happiest day of my life. I had the scum for a year. Started on my neck with just one bump and somehow I spread it to my butt (at least 20) which then spread up my vagina. I went to my primary doctor who used the liquid nitrogen treatment 4 times in a couple months. It would burn for days and blister but only a few would heal and more would pop up. So then I went to a dermatologist who used liquid nitrogen but in a forceful spray can which hurt like hell. Did that two times and said screw this. I remember reading your article during the treatments and decided to try it. I bought desert essence. I used it for a couple weeks exactly how you said with a a drop on a cottom ball applied two times a day, but I wasn’t keeping the area dry all the time. I was bike riding and hiking and swimming etc. and noticed it was kind of working but not fully. So then I decided to isolate myself from everyone and everything to get rid of it. I stayed inside for almost 3 weeks (I couldn’t step outside for a minute without sweating), cut back on drinking alcohol drastically (I probably drank 3 or 4 times), i would only wash my hair a couple times a week so that i could jump in the shower for literally 2 minutes to wash the area then jump out, i bought “tea tree soap” from trader joes, changed my diet (cut out meat, and ate tons of fresh veggies and dark leafy greens and beans) and started drinking herbal teas with Manuka honey (pomegranate antioxident and skin detox to name a couple) several times a day. And literally it took less than 3 weeks to be fully cleared. I went to my primary doctor today and she said they were all gone. And it feels amazing. Thankyou so much Chris for posting. you have helped me so much and I wish everybody the best. So stay dry!!! Don’t drink alcohol. Eat healthy.
Olive,
Very very glad to receive your story, and I’m so relieved to hear my advice has helped someone else be clear of this nasty virus. Cheers on your recovery, and I hope your story helps many more get clear of this affliction. Seriously, thanks again, it really means a lot to me.
And Chris I had a quick question. You don’t have to approve this one because its a little innapropriate for the feed. If emailing me back would be better that’s cool. But I bought an expensive vibrator around the same time I had molluscum (I didn’t kno I had it at the time). Would if be wise to just throw if away or do you think itd be okay to use. I cleaned after everytjme I used it. But I could always use bleach on it (its waterproof). I don’t think it ever touched any of the bumps. And I haven’t used it in months because I’ve been scared to. I just really don’t wanna throw it away because how expensive it is. What do you think..? Is it safe to use probably? Thanks for answering such a weird question.
Haha, don’t worry I’ll reply; I have people talking to me about their genitals all the time, so this doesn’t bother me. (Definitely a first though.)
Clean it well, and you should be fine. The virus doesn’t live on inanimate objects, it lives in the skin. I get people asking me similar questions, if they should throw away their towels, underwear, pants, etc. Not at all. Just keep things clean and dry (when not in use), and all should be well, especially if there’s no sign of the virus remaining.
Why do you refer to the “anti bacterial” properties of Tea Tree oil when the mollusca organism is a VIRUS, not a bacterium? What works on bacteria won’t necessarily work on viruses at all. I’m not saying some studies haven’t shown Tea Tree oil to help, but you should be careful with your facts.
I say “bacteria” somewhere on this site? Are you sure>? If so, that was not intentional; I know full well that molluscum is a virus and speak of it as such, and only speak of tea tree oil as a natural anti-viral agent and disinfectant. I’ll have to adjust the text then when I get a moment.
Hey Chris, I got molluscum from wrestling and have had it for about 6 months. My dermatologist is using liquid nitrogen to freeze them, is that an effective way to get rid of them? The lesions blister and seem to be going down. Would you suggest using the tea tree oil as well? Also, i have a rash surrounding the lesions in the crevice of my right arm. Any tips of how to get rid of the rash?
I only recommend the liquid nitrogen as a last resort; it’s effective to a degree, but it has major flaws. It shocks the skin. It’s painful. It’s easy to miss any new lesions that may be growing under the skin. The 2-week scabbing process is very unpleasant. For all these reasons I first recommend the tea tree oil, as it’s not as immediate, but way more long lasting. So yes, start the oil, but very very gently on any scabs that you may have.
As to the rash, Recreo Powder will help – recreopowder.com – but in general if it’s surrounded by lesions remember to keep it dry. Stay away from creams and lotions, except hydrocortizone which is okay.
I hope this helps; hang in there.