Molluscum Contagiosum
Diagnosis and management

Cryotherapy

Individual lesions should resolve after a single treatment but it is not unusual for new lesions to appear in the following days or weeks. If the lesions fail to resolve, treatment can be repeated at weekly intervals.

Currettage

The core of medium or large lesion is removed by slitting the capsule with the edge of a 19 gauge needle. To prevent spread and secondary infection, povidone-iodine (Betadine) should be applied following treatment.

The following points should be discussed:

• The nature of the infection as a benign condition

• The infection is spread by close physical contact. In adults with lesions on or near the genitals it is usually sexually transmitted.

• Advise the patient against scratching which may spread the lesions.

•   Cryotherapy may cause scarring and  pigment changes.

• Provide literature on molluscum contagiosum.