Persistent Molluscum

[clem943]

In September, I had about 10 small lesions on the shaft of my penis.  The doctor, a GP, diagnosed them as molluscum only after seeing the small ring when he used liquid nitrogen on them.  They all healed by mid October.  After that doctor visit, 2 more appeared on the shaft but I did not recognize them. (I have folliculitis frequently).  They stayed there until I went to the doctor in early December.  The doctor froze them also and they have now healed.  A couple of weeks later, about 7 appeared on the area above my penis and below my waistline.  He froze them and they're almost gone.  Then he froze 2 more a week later that appeared in the same area.  A week later, in january, he froze 2 more that appeared just at the very beginning of my leg but close to the others.  These last ones were very small and new.  The doctor has been very agressive by seeing me weekly and basically freezing everything that was red.

1.  The doctor tells me that most cases of molluscum are not this persistent.  Do you know why these are persistent? Could it be because I left the two lesions untreated for over a month?  Could the new lesions have spread from that?  The doctor says my girlfriend and I may be just swapping them, but she has no signs. We've not really touched each other since early December anyway.  Except for that one period, I am very careful with towels and fanatic with the soap and water.  

2. If I improve my health generally and assuming nothing else is wrong, will that increase the likelihood that I get rid of these breakouts?  For example, would it help to quit smoking, reduce drinking, take vitamins, exercise more, etc?

3.  The doctor says that sometimes persistent molluscum might indicate an HIV infection.  Now this has frightened me.  I don't have any particular reason to think that could be an issue, but I've not always been as careful as I could be.  He says that these cases are usually where there are severe breakouts that are widespread and not in a localized area like mine.  He did not recommend that i get an HIV test.  At what point should I begin to worry though?  

4. I've been visiting weekly but he now says to come back in 3 weeks and, if I see any in the meantime, to treat them with Compound W.  Should I be seeing a dermatoligist?

Thank you in advance for your help.  This site has been very helpful to me through this.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Molluscum are not usually caught from another person.  The fact that girlfriend doesn't have them is typical, because if she had them you would see them.  Molluscum is not usually associated with any overall health weakness.  There's nothing about what you describe that would make me worry about HIV.  Since the doctor brought it up, you might as well get an HIV test, just so you won't have any lingering doubts.

I suspect that your doctor is treating at least spots that are no longer new mollusca but just red marks left over from treatment.  I say this because after just a week, it's hard to tell whether something is still active.

My advice is not to worry--this is just a mild annoyance, to wait 3 weeks, and to see a dermatologist for perhaps more reliable advice.  And please don't use Compound W, since the salicylic acid in that will just irritate your red spots further.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[steve123]

I'm not saying this will work and it could be a coincidence but I started having Molluscum warts november 2004.  I don't know home many I kept removing,   if I had to guess it was about 40-50 or so,  this was over about a 9-10 month period.   I was told that a poor immune system could allow them to linger.  At the time I did notice that I had been sick more than normal and my diet at the time was pretty terrible.  So i decided to change my diet to something that included nutrients to boost my immune system.  As of september of this year I have yet to see another molluscum wart and I was able to make it past my friends and family all getting this 2 week flu/cold that went around, I got it but it only lasted 12 hours with fever. I know my immune system is much better now and back to normal.  I've always had a strong one so I could tell in 2004 that something was wrong with it.  It could have just been a coincidence that the molluscum went away after I started eating better.  Consult your doctor before changing your diet.

[bbd]

Not sure exactly that this is the most appropriate thread to join, but here goes:  My now 14 year old son had developed a couple of small pearly bumps on his left eyelid a little over a year ago.  We thought at first that they were whiteheads/pimples, and I had him carefully put a little benzoil peroxide acne medication on them.  When they did not respond to that treatment, I took him to his pediatrician, who diagnosed molluscum contagiosum, and said they should be frozen off.  We did this, several times, eventually going to a dermatologist referred by the peds, and I believe that they continued with the freezing off treatment.  I know that they had offered to my son the option of slicing them off, but he did not go for the scalpel idea.  

Anyway, after repeated derm treatments over a few months, now the molluscum are gone, and we see that this left eyelid now is somewhat droopy, meaning that it does not seem to be open as wide as the right, unaffected, eyelid, when my son's eyes are normally open.  Is this a coincidence, or could either the molluscum or the treatment of the molluscum have caused the problem?  I mentioned it to the opthamologist at my son's yearly exam, and he said he could repair it surgically, so that the two eyelids matched.

Were the molluscum the likely culprit?  What is the surgical procedure called that the opthamologist referred to?  Is this a job for a dermatologist or an opthamologist, or maybe a plastic surgeon?  Thanks in advance for your help.