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Suggest Treatment For Molluscum Contagiosum
Question: Hello Dr. XXXXXXX
Thank you very much for taking people's questions! I'm a healthy, 30-year-old male. ...I've been undergoing cryo-therapy treatments for molluscum contagiosum with a dermatologist, every three weeks, since July of this year. The lesions (total of around 20 or so since appearing in July, where I suspect I contracted MC from a sexual partner in May) have been around my genital and lower abdomen. I'm scheduled to see my doctor again this week, and I've just noticed two new lesions; one on my stomach and another in the genital area. I'm frustrated because I've had several rounds of cryo-therapy, and my dermatologist (a highly rated area doctor) just says things like "it takes time," "we just need to get them all," etc. Could you please tell me your thoughts on how many more rounds/weeks (or months?) of cryo-therapy is anticipated? Should I consider alternative treatments?
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
XXXX
Thank you very much for taking people's questions! I'm a healthy, 30-year-old male. ...I've been undergoing cryo-therapy treatments for molluscum contagiosum with a dermatologist, every three weeks, since July of this year. The lesions (total of around 20 or so since appearing in July, where I suspect I contracted MC from a sexual partner in May) have been around my genital and lower abdomen. I'm scheduled to see my doctor again this week, and I've just noticed two new lesions; one on my stomach and another in the genital area. I'm frustrated because I've had several rounds of cryo-therapy, and my dermatologist (a highly rated area doctor) just says things like "it takes time," "we just need to get them all," etc. Could you please tell me your thoughts on how many more rounds/weeks (or months?) of cryo-therapy is anticipated? Should I consider alternative treatments?
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
XXXX
Brief Answer:
Molluscum contagiosum
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic
I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have understood it. Genital Molluscum is an STD and is caused by a virus. It being an infection it can autoinnoculate other areas in the vicinity, specially if you are shaving the genital area. Treatment is extraction with a needle, cauterisation with a Radiofrequency cautery machine, Vaporization with a CO2 Laser and Cryotherapy. It is quite normal for new lesions to appear during treatment, due to autoinnoculation, and therefore one has to be patient.
Therefore I agree with your treating dermatologist that "it takes time" and one should make sure that during a freezing session, all visible lesions of molluscum contagiosum are freezed, so that the source of infection is taken care of and therefore the chances of autoinnoculation from a left over lesion, are Zero.
Alternative treatment includes Imiquimod. Imiquimod 5% cream is an immunomodulator and is available on prescription from a dermatologist. It has to be applied for 5 consequtive days in a week and then 2 days off. Treatment may take several weeks (12 weeks-16 weeks) to show results and moreover imiquimod is quite an expensive medicine. It is not a first line treatment for just a few molluscum lesions(3-4 in your case). Imiquimod is prescribed when there are numerous lesions (hundreds of lesions) in a particular area and it is not feasible to extract the lesions with needle/radiofrequency/CO2 Laser/Cryo.
Regards
Molluscum contagiosum
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic
I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query and I have understood it. Genital Molluscum is an STD and is caused by a virus. It being an infection it can autoinnoculate other areas in the vicinity, specially if you are shaving the genital area. Treatment is extraction with a needle, cauterisation with a Radiofrequency cautery machine, Vaporization with a CO2 Laser and Cryotherapy. It is quite normal for new lesions to appear during treatment, due to autoinnoculation, and therefore one has to be patient.
Therefore I agree with your treating dermatologist that "it takes time" and one should make sure that during a freezing session, all visible lesions of molluscum contagiosum are freezed, so that the source of infection is taken care of and therefore the chances of autoinnoculation from a left over lesion, are Zero.
Alternative treatment includes Imiquimod. Imiquimod 5% cream is an immunomodulator and is available on prescription from a dermatologist. It has to be applied for 5 consequtive days in a week and then 2 days off. Treatment may take several weeks (12 weeks-16 weeks) to show results and moreover imiquimod is quite an expensive medicine. It is not a first line treatment for just a few molluscum lesions(3-4 in your case). Imiquimod is prescribed when there are numerous lesions (hundreds of lesions) in a particular area and it is not feasible to extract the lesions with needle/radiofrequency/CO2 Laser/Cryo.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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