Molluscum on face? what else?

[man2240]

Thank you for your question. I'm a 34 year old male no history of drug abuse and only sleep with women.

I was recently visually confirmed by a doc with having a few molluscum lesions around my lips. I've now read that its very rare for adults to get it and when they do its usually an std. I'm worried because i also read an adult with molluscum on the face could be a sign of hiv?

to my knowledge i don't have it anywhere else. I was tested negative for hiv about a year ago - but have had 3 unprotected encounters with women since.

so..

should i be worried about hiv?

and is there a good chance this was aquired sexually?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I think you've summarized things correctly.  Not much if known.  It the very least your treatment makes you less infectious at worst and non-infectious at best.  Sorry I don't have more concrete information.  EWH

[man2240]

i took a rapid hiv test - negative.

so that settles that. So I guess i got unlucky and somehow got molluscum on my face unrelated to hiv of course

doc - last question. I had the bumps removed from my lip. Am I still contagious? - i did not receive a convincing answer either way from the MD. Also there seems to be not a lot of concrete information available my guess because it seems trivial.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

It is difficult to say where you got them from.  Sorry.  EWH

[man2240]

thanks doc..

yeah i definitely wouldn't describe them as extensive. there were only about 6 so I'm gonna stop stressing about hiv

how common is it to get it on my face?.. can i assume it was acquired from my fiance?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum.   I think that while the facts that you mention are correct, you are putting them together in a more concerning fashion than is needed.

First, while molluscum is sexually transmitted, it is not exclusively transmitted in this way and  in fact, the infection is quite common in children where it is just transmitted through direct contact.  Further, the issue of molluscum in HIV is that the infection can become very extensive and difficult to treat. Thus, given your testing and exposure history I would not worry.

On the other hand, you describe unprotected sex with 3 partners over the past year.  Thus you qualify for periodic STD "screening (testing in the absence of symptoms) because you have had multiple partners over a period of less than a year.  As a matter of personal protection, we recommend annual testing for STDs including HIV for anyone who has had two or more sex partners in the past year.  Please note, this is not a veiled suggestion that you are likely to have HIV or any other STD.  We consider this to be health maintenance- we also recommend you get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly.  EWH