Welcome to the website offering you information about Molluscum Contagiosum and its Homeopathic treatment.
Molluscum Contagiosum is a common viral infection of the skin though it occasionally also affects the mucous membranes. The condition affects children as well adults. The incidence tends to be higher in children especially in certain parts of the world such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji and certain parts of Africa. Males and females are equally affected with this condition. Molluscum Contagiosum is more common in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world due to the warm and humid climate. Certain epidemiological studies suggest that the incidence of this condition may be related to poor hygiene and climatic factors such as warmth and humidity.
This website shall discuss in details about this condition, its causes, diagnosis, and treatment with special emphasis on the Homeopathic approach to this ailment. Homeopathy has wonderful scope of treatment in Molluscum Contagiosum and we would want all the sufferers of this condition to avail the benefits of Homeopathic treatment. Homoeopathy not only helps in curing the patient of this disease but also helps in preventing its recurrence at a later stage.

Molluscum Contagiosum is a viral infection of the skin and as discussed earlier, it can also affect the mucous membranes. Molluscum stands for 'snail' and it has been named so because as the lesions grow, they develop a small dimple at the top which makes them look like a snail. Since this condition is highly contagious and spreads by contact, it is termed as 'Molluscum Contagiosum'.
This condition is characterized by small lesions on the skin that are pearly white, shiny and can either be single or in groups. Initially, the dome of the lesion is firm, but later it becomes softer and grayer and may drain. As the lesions grow they develop a little dimple at the top, which makes them look like a snail. Each lesion may vary in size from 1 mm to 1 cm diameter.

Molluscum Contagiosum is caused by a virus that is a member of the Poxvirus family. This virus is called Molluscipoxvirus and it is a DNA virus. The incubation period (period between getting infected with the virus and the appearance of the symptoms) of this virus varies from 1 week to 6 months. The lesions are self-limiting and if left alone they can take 6 months to 5 years to disappear completely.

The virus is transmitted by the following routes:
In children:

• Direct skin-to-skin contact with infected skin
• By saliva
• Scratching, picking or breaking the blisters and touching one another
• Through shared towels, clothes, etc
• Using public toilets or bathing in swimming pool

In adults:

• Nonsexual, intimate contact
• Multiple sexual contacts
• Vaginal, anal or oral intercourse
• Sharing contaminated objects such as towels, gym equipments, shaving blades, etc.

Is it hereditary?

No, Molluscum Contagiosum is not a hereditary condition though multiple family members can get affected with the disease at the same time. This is seen only because of transmission by contact and use of shared towels, napkins, etc.

Who is more prone to this infection?

Molluscum Contagiosum is more common and extensive in:

• People with atopic eczema especially associated with asthma or hay fever
• People whose immunity is suppressed because of recurrent infections
• People who have immuno- suppressant diseases like HIV, AIDS and those who are on corticosteroid treatment for a long time.

• Molluscum lesions begin as small papules (tiny raised bumps)
• The lesions are usually small, 1-5 mm in diameter; rarely they are upto 10mm in diameter
• The lesions are dry
• They are raised, dome-shaped shiny, flesh colored lesions and when they grow, they develop a dimple in the center
• The dimpled center contains cheesy material that can be squeezed out
• These lesions are usually painless
• If the lesions are picked or disturbed, they can develop super-added bacterial infection and then the patient may complain of pain and itching
• Scratching spreads the lesions to other parts of the body and this is known as 'Auto-inoculation'
• Usually fewer than 20 lesions are seen but several hundreds of them can appear sometimes
• Multiple widespread, persistent and disfiguring lesions can be seen in people with impaired immune systems

Which part of the body is commonly affected?

Molluscum Contagiosum commonly affects the face, neck, armpit, arms and hands though it may occur anywhere on the body except the palms and soles. Very rarely it is seen all over the body.
Adults also manifest this infection on the genitals as a sexually transmitted disease. Lower abdomen, inner thighs, pubic area and genitals are common sites of Molluscum Contagiosum in adults.

Usually the appearance of the lesions is typically indicative of the diagnosis. However, to confirm the diagnosis, the cheesy material inside the center of lesion can be syringed out with the help of a needle and examined under the microscope for the presence of poxvirus.

Differential Diagnosis:

There are some other skin infections that can mimic Molluscum Contagiosum and these are as follows:

Folliculitis:
It is an inflammation of the hair follicles. The skin around the hair follicle gets red and raised. The center shows a depression because of the presence of hair follicle. It is painful and spreads faster.

Genital warts:
Genital warts grow on or around the internal or external genitals i.e., on or around the anus or penis, and/or in or around the vagina from contact with infected sexual partner. They are dry, painless, pink and rough textured. They are not flat but have a stalk and, if left untreated, can grow much larger and form masses that look similar to cauliflower.

Genital Herpes:
Molluscum Contagiosum can sometimes be confused with Genital herpes when seen on the genitals. However, the distinct difference is that Molluscum lesions are painless whereas the herpes lesions can be painful.

If left alone, the lesions of Molluscum Contagiosum disappear on its own within a span of 6-18 months. But if a person is on any immuno-suppressive drugs or is suffering from immuno-suppressant disease, the recovery is slow. In fact such patients are more prone to super-added infections. In such cases, itching, scratching and bleeding can leave small-depressed scars at the site of lesions.
Few of the commonly used conventional therapies are as follows:

Freezing/Cryotherapy: The lesions are frozen with liquid nitrogen or dry ice at an interval of 2-3 weeks until the lesions are cleared. Though this method is quite effective it sometimes causes hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation and scarring.
Evisceration: The core of the lesion is excavated with help of sharp instruments like scalpel, sharp tooth pick, edge of a glass slide. Patients themselves can carry out this procedure if carefully taught. This method is though not applicable to children as the procedure can be really painful.
Scraping/ Curettage: The lesions are scraped off with the help of sharp instruments. Use of topical anesthetic agents is advised to combat the pain. The method has an advantage of providing a reliable tissue sample for the confirmation of diagnosis of Molluscum Contagious.
Electrosurgery/ Laser Cautery: The lesions are burnt either with electric cautery or Laser beam is used to burn the spots.
Squeezing: A local anesthetic cream is applied to the area and left on under a plastic film for one hour before the procedure. Then the lesion is squeezed out with the help of forceps or sharp sticks.
Tape stripping: Sterilized adhesive tapes are repeatedly applied and removed over the lesions and removed so that the superficial epidermis is effectively removed. However, repeated use of the same strip is likely to spread the virus to adjacent, uninvolved skin.
Chemical applications, which are prepared with metal silver as the base can prevent the bacterial infection and hence enhance the process of recovery

• One must refrain from squeezing or disturbing the lesion to prevent its spread
• School children should not come in direct contact with infected child
• Public toilets, swimming pools should be hygienically maintained
• One must not share personal items of use such as towels, shaving blades, clothes, etc
• Abstain from sex without protection
• Avoid multiple sexual partners
• Recurrent infections or skin lesions like eczema should be properly treated

• Many a times though the skin has been cleared of the Molluscum lesions, the core of the Molluscum is not completely scraped off which can cause recurrence of this infection repeatedly.
• Some times the cheesy matter in the center of Molluscum lesion gets infected with fungus, which spreads to all adjacent areas giving rise to white patchy discoloration and itching.
• Recurrent Molluscum can give rise to scarring, disfigurement and consequently mental trauma (Depression, low confidence in some cases)

Homeopathy has excellent scope in the treatment of Molluscum Contagiosum. The treatment is targeted towards the root of the illness and hence Homeopathy brings about lasting cure rather than temporary relief.

The Homeopathic treatment that is given is referred to as 'Constitutional Treatment'. This means that the medicines are prescribed on the basis of the chief complaint as well as on the basis of an in-depth study of the entire constitution of an individual. This includes the study of a person's nature of complaints, his likes and dislikes about food, his personality and mental attributes as well as his past and family history. When all these criteria are taken into account for deciding the patient's remedy, the chosen drug is called as 'Constitutional remedy' and it helps to heal the disease from its roots.

Homeopathic treatment not only helps in getting rid of the existing molluscum contagiosum but it also helps in removing the tendency for this condition to recur. Also the method of healing of the molluscum is without the use of any surgical aids and hence it helps in preventing scarring and other such side-effects that can occur due to surgery.