How we are coping with Molluscum Contagiosum

I first noticed my Daughters Molloscum when she was about 13 months old. A small pink pimple like spot on the back of her head. I didn’t think anything of it at first and thought perhaps it was a bite of some kind. After about a month it wasn’t going anywhere and had gotten a little bigger and so we took her to the doctors to get it checked out. They straight away diagnosed it as Molluscum Contagiosum. Basically it’s a virus that is not harmful but has no cure and can last anywhere from 2 months to 2 years. Advice given to us was to just leave it alone and it will eventually disappear on its own. Worried that it was contagious they told me that it is most common in children however most people are immune to it so we wasn’t to worry about contact with other children. How did she get this? I thought. The virus can be passed on by skin contact or from contaminated towels, flannels, soft toys, etc. and can take several weeks before it makes an appearance making it difficult pin point where it came from. There are options to have them removed but these include liquid nitrogen and scrapping which are painful enough let alone a small child so naturally I said no to those.

I set about looking for alternative treatments to see if I could help the process along.

So far we have tried several topical treatments such as Aloe Gelly and Propolis Cream from our home business (I found these helped to keep it from looking angry) and most recently Apple Cider Vinegar. The ACV is reportedly very effective if you soak a cotton pad with it and place it over the infection holding in place with a plaster overnight. Reports suggest only a few weeks and the MC has scabbed and disappeared however given the location of my Daughters MC this has proven extremely difficult to use topical treatments. We’d apply stuff to it and 5 seconds later she’s rolling on the floor and it’s all wiped off (sigh). I have also in the last few weeks starting giving her Aloe Gel to drink, just a small amount each day (10ml) to see have that helps.

She’s 19 months old now and out of the 2 she has, the biggest has now changed in appearance, whereas before it was clear pink almost like a blister the biggest has started to dry slightly which I am hoping is a sign that her body is finally trying to fight off the infection (fingers crossed). Having no previous experience with these myself apparently they scab before they fall off. In the meantime I'm happy to randomly keep trying with the Gelly and ACV but as it’s not harmful I'm not too worried. I will let it run its course and I guess I'm lucky in that her hair now covers it.

My advice if you are experiencing an MC on yourself or your child is really just let it run its course, use any natural topical treatments you wish to but don’t attempt to pick scratch or squeeze them as this will spread the infection and make them worse.

 

Much love

Mamaskellon xx