MOLLUSCUM ADVICE PLEASE HELP ME!!

[jonathon882001]

I went to one primary doctor she told me i have molluscum in my groin area, around 5. She told me dont do anything they will go away. I went to a dermatologist he told me that yes i do have molluscum and i need to get treated before it spreads or give it to my wife if it hasnt already. i didnt want to get them freezed because i was afraid of me being in pain and scaring.

Questions:
1. He gave me aldara to use to treat it. how long would it take for me to get rid of these molluscum when i start treating them with this cream? what will this cream do to my molluscum? what kind of irritation occurs? do they get inflammed?

2. if i leave them alone will they go away on their own? if they go away does that mean your immune system became immune to it and it wont come back?

3. if i freeze them does it hurt and what is the recovery rate for this procedure. is there a chance of me growing back molluscum?

4. say mine goes away but my wife might has one, does that mean i can get the molluscum again from her? meaning it will go back and forth and reoccuring in my groin area? what are the chances of say my wife getting it if i have it.

please help me doctor i dont know what to do about this molluscum should i wait for them to go away. should i start using the aldara cream or should i freeze them off, what should i do , please help me.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Despite what your dermatologist said, most molluscum doesn't behave in a contagious fashion.  If your wife had them, they would be external and visible.  I think you're better off having them frozen than using Aldara, because Aldara can take months and can be very irritating.  Freezing really doesn't hurt much and does not leave scars.  You might possibly have to have leftovers re-frozen once or twice.  If you wait them out, they'll go away but may take months.  You really don't need to worry about back-and-forth infections with your wife.  For whatever reason, it doesn't happen very often.  I don't think I've seen it go back and forth once in 25 years.

Bottom line: get 'em frozen and forget about them.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[jonathon882001]

the doctor told me if i freeze them i will scar,and that it hurts like when you get burned with a cigarette... how long does this hurt for? is it for a split second when its frozen then the pain goes away or is this an ongoing pain until it heals or molluscum falls off?

can i please ask you something. where my wifes leg meets her behind from the back, i see a red pimple thats mostly covered in clear color on top what you think this can be? thats the only pimple i see on her at this time it doesnt look like the molluscum that i have in my groin area, what else do you think this can be>? do all molluscum look the same of do they vary? i know mollscum have a white dot in the middle but her whole pimple is pretty much covered in a clear whitish color.

If i leave this alone how long will it take for myself to clear of this molluscum. is this serious for us to worry ourselves over?

I just got aldara and im afraid to use it because there so many side effects, burning, scaring, ulcers, etc.. does aldara always cause blistering or inflammation of the molluscum before it goes away?

thank you for your help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Nitrogen leaves a red mark but it goes away.  The pain in minor--adults have no trouble handling it.  Your wife probably has a pimple, but she'll need to show it to someone.  This is not serious.

Dr. Rockoff

[jonathon882001]

thank you for your help. if all my molluscum go away on their own does that mean im immune to this now? is there a chance i can get it again?or is it when their gone their gone?theres one below my naval thats been there for the longest time, small pinkish pimple when can this go awway on its own, i dont think u can even see the white mark in the middle.

thanks doc soooooooo much for your help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

No, not immune, but they usually don't come back.  Yes, but not likely.  The pink should go away on its own.

Dr. Rockoff

[jonathon882001]

so doc your sayin theres a chance i might get it again once its gone if i get exposed to it? how? what does it mean if one of some gets inflammed. if i go and pop one would that be the reason for it to get bigger and inflammed? how long does this last usually before it goes away on its own? can you get this anywhere other than ur groin area? can they look like regualar pimples with no white core?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Enough, Jonathon.

Dr. Rockoff

[jonathon882001]

I apologize last questions on this thread!!

Can you get molluscum on your arms? because i notice small red pimples on both of my arms around the same area. Is it possible for molluscum to grow with a hair in the middle, because this is what i have on my arms? or can they just be pimples

If i wash my groin area, that has molluscum with a sponge and soap and then use the same sponge to wash my whole body, would i be spreading the mollscum all over my body with this sponge?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

You can get molluscum on your arms, but they don't have hairs growing out of them.  You don't spread them with a washcloth.  Enough, Jonathon.

Dr. Rockoff

[jjm400]

A related discussion, Mollscum on a 10 yr old was started.