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Molluscum contagiosum
Make it clearer
Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection, and what causes it is a virus in the poxvirus family. The name does not mislead you about the contagious part.
It is common in children, and it shows up when someone touches a skin lesion on another person or an object that carries the virus: a towel, clothing, a toy. It also spreads through sexual contact. What you see is characteristic: it starts as a papule, a small painless bump, and it can gradually grow into a pearly, skin-colored nodule with a dimple right in the center, as if someone had pressed it in with the tip of a pencil. And there is reassuring news: in people with a healthy immune system the condition usually clears on its own over months to years, though the lesions can spread before they go away.
In brief
Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection caused by a virus in the poxvirus family.
It is common in children and appears after touching a lesion or an object carrying the virus, such as towels, clothing, or toys; it also spreads through sexual contact.
The lesion starts as a small, painless papule that can grow into a pearly, skin-colored nodule with a central dimple.
In people with healthy immunity it usually clears on its own over months to years, though lesions can spread first.
Sources (1)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineMolluscum contagiosum (Medical Encyclopedia)
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated