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SafeSexGuide
MOLLUSCUM
MOLLUSCUM

How You Get It (Exposure):

Molluscum spreads from one person to another during any close physical skin to skin contact. Though most often the transmition occurs during sex, the virus can also spread through non-sexual contact such as massage, hugging, contact sports and even a doctor's examination.

Warning Signs (Symptoms):

You'll know you have molluscum when a painless pimple with a crater-like center and white cheesy material inside appears on your skin.

The most common sites of infection are your inner thighs, groin, anus, genitals and lower abdomen. You can also spread the infection all over your body -- especially if you have HIV. The skin lesions are often clustered but can be scattered over several locations. Untreated lesions can grow to pea-sized proportions.

Getting Checked Out (Diagnosis) / Treatment:

Most doctors can diagnose molluscum just by looking at it, though folliculitis, a bacterial skin infection, and herpes can sometimes resemble molluscum. In order to confirm which condition you have, your doctor may send a biopsy of one of your legions to a lab for further examination.

The most common treatments are freezing, burning or scraping the skin lesions. Unfortunately, there are presently no medications that can cure this infection. After treatment, see your doctor for frequent check-ups to be sure that the infection is truly gone: many times a new crop of skin lesions pops up months afterward. A few treatments may be able to take care of this problem, as long as you don't delay getting help.

If Left Untreated:

Untreated molluscum may disappear in 2 to 4 months if your body's own immune system kills it, though during this time, the infection can spread to other parts of your body or to other people. If you have a weakened immune system, molluscum can continue to grow and spread, so your doctor may advise treatment to eradicate this infection.

Prevention:

To try to prevent molluscum, examine your new partner before sexual contact with him or her, and wash thoroughly afterwards. If you see a new bump or pimple, see your doctor as soon as possible; delaying will only make the problem worse.

Prevalence:

Molluscum contagiosum accounts for fewer than 3% of STDs in the United States . It usually occurs in people 20 to 40 years old.


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