Dd and ds both have it. They're tiny little wart-like bumps, flesh colored, that chain and spread, commonly on children's trunks/arms/bottoms. I have no idea where they picked it up. It started maybe a year ago with one tiny bump, in the exact same place on their chest, on each of them. It has spread down their bellies, with dd's inner arm recently getting covered, and ds has a few near his man bits. I've heard the whole spiel from the ped. They'll disappear on their own as soon as their immune systems recognize them. Well, how long can that take? My nephew had these a few years ago when he was 4, and my brother had them individually frozen off (80+).:yuck: They swear it wasn't that bad, but no thanks.
I wouldn't mind waiting for them to go away on their own, but dd is starting K this fall and is getting very self concious about them. She keeps asking if they'll be gone by then, and will other kids laugh.:cry: Poor thing. Plus, even though they're not really harmful, they are contageous, and I'd hate for the child sitting next to her to end up with them.
So I did a lot of surfing last night and found ZymaDerm. It has great reviews and is supposed to be gentle on the skin, not leave scarring, work in 30 days or so.
Has anyone tried it or any other remedies? Or if you let them go away on their own, how long did it take? Any other experiences with these little buggers?
lizzytra
06-18-2008, 08:55 AM
I know nothing about this virus, but I remember reading that duct tape applied to a common wart would help it clear as it provided an irritation that the body recognized and then fought.
Maybe that would work for this virus too?
I quickly looked up info on wiki and it suggests a few different treatments:
I SO feel for your DC! If it is contagious I would think that would be reason enough for the doc to remove them, if that is what your DC are comfortable with.
raelynn
06-18-2008, 09:57 AM
My DD had these on the side of her torso (under her arm, but not arm pit, if that makes sense).
We tried the duct tape thing, it didn't work. We ended up freezing them off, because she scratched one of them off and it spread to like 15 more. I had one of the at-home freezing kits for warts, and did it when she was sleeping (she never woke). Our Dr told us to go ahead with treating them at home, and said that freezing the skin causes the body to recognize something needs healing, and when the body goes to repair the frozen skin, it sees the virus there and attacks it. Fortunately, they were relatively easy to get rid of and left no scars.
My friend had them, and the doctor used some sort of razor thing to lop them off (I get shivers thinking about it, but she says it was fine). If your DC wants them removed, I would do it.
Nanner99
06-18-2008, 10:16 AM
My son had them from about 6 mos until close to 2 yrs old. Then one day we noticed they were all disappearing and there were no new baby ones.
I tried some kind of derm-something stuff from the pharmacy (OTC) that did nothing at all, but a friend of mine said it cleared her dd's molluscum up right away.
I would personally wait a little longer and then think about taking her to the dermatalogist in a month or 2.
Nanner99
06-18-2008, 10:17 AM
Also, if they are lanced, they shrivel up and die. But she will still keep getting new ones.
kezoo
06-18-2008, 11:00 AM
My dd had them, and they kept getting worse. The ped said we just had to wait for them to go away. Well, I started giviing her a homeopathic remedy for molluscum contagiosum (Thuja) and they (100+) were almost completly gone w/in a week. :) Definitely worth a try. Oh, and do your best to strengthen their immune system, as it is a virus and the body has to fight it off. Vitamin C, raw garlic, whole foods, etc.
Oh, and she had them for about 4-5 months (Thanksgiving to March). The virus is a pox, so I wonder if the fact that dd had Chicken Pox last year helped her body recognize the virus, and the homeopathic remedy helped speed it along??
lilypop'smom
06-18-2008, 12:30 PM
Thanks guys, some very interesting comments. That does make sense about the body healing the freezing and then noticing the virus. I read about tape, but she has so many, prob 50. Boosting the immune system with vit C is a great idea. And I'm going to look into the Thuja, hadn't come across it yet. Lancing...shiver. I can't do it. She would freak out. I did go ahead and order some ZymaDerm. After dh saw it he was all about it. He's very worried about her being made fun of. I guess we'll have to treat ds too. I would leave his, he's only 2, but dd would end up getting it again from him I'm sure.
