Molluscum contagiosum

Molluscum (muh-luhs-kum) contagiosum (kən-tā-jē-ō-səm) is a common skin disease. It is caused by a virus. This virus easily spreads from person to person.

People can get molluscum by sharing towels and clothing. Wrestlers and gymnasts may get it from touching infected mats. Skin-to-skin contact also spreads the virus.

Often the only sign of molluscum is pink or flesh-colored bumps on the skin. These bumps can appear anywhere on the skin.

Scratching or picking at these bumps can spread the virus from one part ofyour body to another. Most people get about 10 to 20 bumps on their skin. If a person has a weakened immune system, many bumps often appear. People who have AIDS can have 100 or more bumps.

Whenever you can see the bumps on the skin, molluscum contagiosum is contagious.

Source: https://www.aad.org

Signs, symptoms

Bumps on the skin can be the only sign that a person has molluscum contagiosum. These bumps often appear about 7 weeks after being exposed to the virus that causes molluscum. Sometimes, the bumps do not appear for many months.

When the bumps appear on the skin, they often:

• Begin as small, firm, dome-shaped growths.
• Have a surface that feels smooth, waxy, or pearly.
• Are flesh-colored or pink.
• Have a dimple in the center. The dimple may be filled with a thick, white substance that is cheesy or waxy.
• Are painless, but some bumps itch.
• Turn red as the person’s immune system fights the virus.
• Appear on other areas of the body after a person scratches or picks the bumps. Scratching or picking can spread the virus.

In adults, the bumps often appear on the face, neck, armpits, arms, and hands. Other common places for bumps to appear are the genitals, abdomen, and inner thighs. Adults often get molluscum contagiosum through sexual contact.

If a person has a disease that weakens the immune system, such as AIDS, the bumps can grow very large. A person may have 100 or more bumps on the face alone.

Source: https://www.aad.org

Who gets, causes

Who gets molluscum contagiosum?

This skin disease is most often seen in children. People who live in a tropical climate also are more likely to get molluscum. The virus thrives in a warm, humid place. Having atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema, also increases the risk of getting molluscum contagiosum.

When a person has a weak immune system due to a medical condition such as AIDS or treatment for cancer, the person can get a serious case of molluscum contagiosum.

What causes molluscum contagiosum?

A virus causes molluscum. There are 2 ways to get this virus:

1. Touch something infected with the virus. You can get molluscum by using an infected towel. You can get it from touching infected clothing or toys. Wrestlers and gymnasts get it from touching infected mats.
   
   
2. Have direct skin-to-skin contact. Children often get molluscum because they have lots of direct skin-to-skin contact with others. People who participate in contact sports such as wrestling get molluscum from the direct skin-to-skin contact. Teens and adults often get the virus through sexual contact.

Once infected with the virus, a person can spread the virus to other parts the body. Scratching or picking at bumps on the skin and then touching skin that does not have bumps can spread the virus and cause new bumps. Your dermatologist may call this self-re-infection.

Source: https://www.aad.org