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Molluscum Contagiosum Questions

I have been tested for other STD's and everything turned up negative (luckily).   I had this officially diagnosed through a biopsy taken by the doc who performed surgery on me for a hernia (after going to a walk-in doctor who prescribed me anti-biotics which obviously didn't do much for me)  

I had the molluscum frozen about 3 weeks ago now and the doc said it would turn red, scab, and fall off. I had about 50 molluscum (between lower abdomen and pubic area, some on right thigh) frozen and only 2 scabbed and fell off. The rest turned gross-red for a week and then basically turned into a bunch of red bumps (almost like mosquito bites instead of the molluscum looking bumps.)    I made the mistake of having sex this past weekend thinking I was in the clear and have since seen about 5 new molluscum pop up and a lot of the old ones have started to have the white head come out or look like they had never been treated now.

My questions are
  . It doesn't seem like the freezing worked, why is this? and what other treatment(s) should I try?
  . How long will there be marks where it has been treated? Will the marks ever become unnoticeable?
   . What are the chances I spread this over the last weekend?
    . What are the chances that I re-spread this to a new part of my body (my face)?
    . How long till the girl I was with, or unfortunately, my face, see the results? How long till I can breathe easy and believe that this girl and my face might have dodged the bullet?
   . Should I ever try to get rid of these on my own when the white (molluscum) starts to surface? ( i have not tried this since being diagnosed)
   . Are there any foods or drinks I should take/avoid while trying to get rid of this?
  . There's also a patch of what seems like leathery skin on my shaft, is this related to Molluscum?
   . When does one know they are in the clear from being contagious? (simply put: when can I have sex again?)


Thank You in advance for any insight.
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Avatar universal
it was a pain to get rid of them but it ended up being alright. Reading through past comments, it never ended up on my face and she never got infected. Went to a dermatologist and he applied some sort of beatle juice (catharin I think it was called). Very painful experience. Considering it spreads skin to skin it's going to be tough to avoid catching this if you don't see it, but if you diet well and slow down while receiving proper treatment you'll be out relatively quick.  It was years ago now, and I had the bumps for about 6 months (Feb - Aug). This is largely in part because I did not receive proper treatment until the end of June. It resolved itself with treatment in about 2 months. Definitely not fun, but not the end of the world.

PS the beatle juice technique hurts
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Avatar universal
Just to put ease to sone readers on here, if you're an adult and have these on your genital area its not 100% that you got it threw sex or can be classified as an std. I've recently noticed that I had a few of these bumps on my genital area so I went to my local sexual health center and discussed where I could have gotten it from mind uou I have not been in a sexual relationship in over a year almost, the nurse practitioner told me I could have gotten it from anywhere such as trying on clothing at a store and that there's no way to pinpoint where I could have gotten it seeing how there are so many possibilities. Im only saying this because there are to any sites posting this as an std when thats not always the case by any means.
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Avatar universal
one final question. Is it possible she could be spreading the infection right now if it has not surfaced on her skin yet?
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Avatar universal
wow so 6 months from now i might have this **** pop up on my face. Kind of disheartening but thanks for the honest answers.
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1689034 tn?1305844467
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It sounds from your description that the eruption is most likely molluscum contagiosum.  There are other pustular diseases like folliculitis that can affect the area.  Also, I am presuming that the freezing material was liquid nitrogen, as other freezing sprays tend to be weaker.  Spraying the lesions is not as effective as using a Qtip or forceps to apply liquid nitrogen.

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral infection that affects primarily children and young sexually active adults.  The locations are different.  In childred it's spread all over, in young adults, it is considered a sexually transmitted disease and is usually in the genital/groin area. We used to see molluscum most of the time in AIDS patients, but with the advent of the new therapies for HIV, we see it significantly less.  Since in young adults molluscum is most often an STD, it is an excellent idea to be tested for other STDs like HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C and herpes simplex type II.

It can take up to six months for molluscum to show up after the skin has been infected with the virus.  The  infection is transmitted by contact with viral particles which are located at the top in the central depression of the lesion itself. It is transmitted fairly easily.  So even toweling off and rubbing or scratching or shaving the area can transmit the virus to another body part, including the face.

So if you don't touch the molluscum and/or wash your hands thoroughly before touching any other part of the body, the chances of transmitting it to other parts of the body are smaller.  Make sure when you use a towel, dry the area of molluscum last and throw the towel in the wash right after that.

If there are lesions on your skin the chances of transmitting them to your partner are pretty good, so you should probably discuss that with her.  It is excellent that you had yourself tested for other STDs and are negative.  Even so, you need to use a barrier method of contraception (condom) since the HIV test, for example needs to be repeated in 6 months to make sure it stays negative.  It's a good idea to use a barrier method of contraception for any sexual activity until it has been a long, monogamous relationship (over 18 months) and both partners remain negative for any STDs.

You need to discuss the molluscum with your partner.  Also let her know that you have been tested negative for other STDs.  If she notes any lesions, she should see her dermatologist for treatment.

As to when you can have sex again, it's a tough question.  All the lesions must be completely healed, certainly, no scabs, no bumps at all. Then the chances of transmission are lower but not completely eliminated. Then if you see nothing for 6 months, most likely you are clear of the molluscum.  

I don't think you should try to get rid of them on your own.  These viral lesions can get infected with bacteria that lives under our fingernails and can result in a worse infection and scarring.

There are different methods of treatment.  Liquid nitrogen is one,  It takes several treatments, usually 10-14 days apart to get rid of all the molluscum especially if you have that many.  There are also other methods like immune system stimulating medications and retinoid gels that have been used with success.
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