What Is Fungal Acne? Symptoms, Treatment, Vs. Acne
Eczema And Molluscum Contagiosum
Eczema is a condition that can bring on itching, dryness, scaly patches, and rashes. It's not contagious. But germs can get into your body through cracks in your skin, raising your chances for viral, bacterial, and fungal skin infections.
One common viral infection that people with eczema are more likely to get, usually in childhood, is molluscum contagiosum. This is a contagious skin problem that causes small bumps. The bumps can itch, which could trick you into thinking it's only eczema. What's more, rubbing or scratching can make either condition worse.
Since they can be hard to tell apart, here's a closer look at the differences between molluscum contagiosum and eczema.
Experts aren't sure exactly what causes eczema, but they think your genes and certain triggers in your environment play a role. Your body's defenses (immune system) overreact to a trigger -- like irritants, allergens, and stress -- by making too much inflammation, which brings on the skin symptoms.
A contagious poxvirus causes molluscum contagiosum. The infection spreads through:
Adults can get molluscum contagiosum, but it's most common in children who are 1 to 10 years old.
Bumps are the main sign of molluscum contagiosum, but they're just one possible symptom of eczema.
Eczema can also bring on signs like:
Babies and young children (who are at higher risk for molluscum contagiosum) usually get eczema symptoms on the face, the outside of elbows, and on knees. Older kids and adults tend to get it on the hands and feet, the arms, the backs of the knees, and in the folds of elbows. The condition can show up on different body parts as you get older.
Molluscum contagiosum usually brings on small, firm bumps. If you're living with eczema, the bumps tend to show up on dry skin that's affected by eczema. Molluscum bumps can irritate skin, too, so you may see more signs of eczema right around the bumps themselves.
In general, molluscum bumps can show up anywhere on your skin, but children usually get them on their:
The bumps rarely show up on the palms of hands or the soles of feet. They can appear on the inside of eyelids, though.
At first molluscum bumps may look pink, flesh-colored, or white. As they get bigger, they start to look dome-shaped with a pin-like dimple in the middle. Once they turn red and look like pimples, it means your immune system is fighting off the virus and the bumps will go away soon.
The bumps are often painless. But if you rub, scratch, or pick at them, you could infect the bumps with bacteria on your hands and nails, and that could make them hurt. Habits like these can also spread molluscum contagiosum to other parts of your body.
Talk to your dermatologist. Some people don't need treatment for molluscum contagiosum. The infection can go away on its own, although it often takes months, and sometimes years.
If you or your child is already living with eczema, the dermatologist may recommend treatment for molluscum contagiosum. There are several options, like:
Cimetidine. This liquid medicine mainly helps children. If you're a parent, you give it to your child twice a day by mouth for about 3 months. Your little one might tell you it tastes bad, which could make it hard for you to get them to keep taking it.
Cantharidin ("beetle juice"). This is another treatment that's ideal for young children. A dermatologist puts this medicine made from blister beetles on molluscum bumps. It makes a water blister form on each bump. Then, as the skin heals, the bumps may flatten out and peel away with the blister. That usually takes a couple of weeks.
Most patients need to get cantharidin treatment twice or more for it to work best. You should only get this treatment at a doctor's office. It's not safe to buy cantharidin online and use it at home, because you could burn or scar yourself.
Procedures to remove bumps. These could be too scary for a younger child. Procedures like these tend to be options for teens and adults, and they're done by a skin doctor:
Never try to squeeze or pop a molluscum bump at home. You could make the infection worse or spread it.
Your dermatologist might recommend tips like these:
Cover the bumps. You can keep them covered with clothes, a bandage, or medical tape while you're at work or school.
Wash your hands. Scrub with soap and water after you touch bumps on yourself or on your child.
Don't share personal items. Whoever has molluscum contagiosum shouldn't share things like towels, washcloths, bedding, and clothes with someone else. If your child has the infection, make sure you give them their own personal items.
Take safety measures before you go for a soak or swim. You could infect other people if you go into a pool, hot tub, or sauna while you have bumps. To lower the chances of that happening, the American Academy of Dermatology says:
If you get molluscum bumps on or around your genitals, don't have sex or make sexual contact with those body parts. Adults often spread the infection this way. See a dermatologist for treatment, and ask them when you can start having sex again.
Cover your bumps before you play a sport. Don't share sports gear if you're infected. If there's a chance that your covering could come off (like during wrestling or football), don't play the sport until your bumps go away.
Bathe your children separately. If one of your children has molluscum contagiosum, don't bathe them together with their siblings. Also make sure each child uses different washcloths, bath toys, and towels.
Keep siblings in separate beds. If one of your children has the infection, have them sleep alone. No siblings should share their bed.
'Don't Buy Wigs From Amazon': Woman Says Wig She Got Off Of Amazon Sent Her To The Hospital
After buying a wig from Amazon, a TikToker says it sent her to the hospital with an outbreak of bumps. She claims it was an infection called molluscum. The woman's video reminds viewers of the precautions to take when buying wigs and the importance of buying them from reputable vendors, even if it is being bought from Amazon.
In the video, Kayla (@mommin_whilehealin) is seen in a hospital gown with a bonnet presenting the bumps on her face. She says doctors at the emergency room were the first to say it might be molluscum.
"It's 3am, I'm in the hospital because I bought a wig off of Amazon and it ended up with molluscum. So now I just wait it out," Kayla states. "Covered up in lesions or whatever they're called I don't know. But be aware, don't buy wigs from Amazon."
Kayla also posted a video with the vendor's information for viewers to be aware of.
Molluscum contagiosum is a viral pox infection, in the same family as the more commonly known virus chicken pox, which is usually benign. Similar to what Kayla is experiencing, it causes round bumps to appear on your body, according to the CDC. It can spread in a myriad of ways and although it is most common in children, adults are still vulnerable to the infection.
"The virus that causes molluscum spreads from direct person-to-person physical contact and through contaminated fomites. Fomites are inanimate objects that can become contaminated with virus; in the instance of molluscum contagiosum this can include linens such as clothing and towels, bathing sponges, pool equipment, and toys….Molluscum can spread from one person to another by sexual contact. Many, but not all, cases of molluscum in adults are caused by sexual contact," the CDC's page for the infection also states. Many in the comments tried to suggest Kayla received a reaction from an STI/STD.
The video has over 7 million views and over 8,000 comments as of Sunday.
@mommin_whilehealin ♬ original sound – Kayla 🗝There is an overwhelming amount of support for Kayla in the comments.
"Sweetheart I am so sorry this happened to you. This could've happened even if u bought a wig for a high-end store. It's not your fault. I will recover from this. Never stop praying God will fix it," sympathizes one commenter.
"I am so sorry this happened to you. Had no idea what molluscum was until now. I hope you get better soon," says another.
However, others are more skeptical.
"What makes you think it's from the wig? Molluscum has an incubation period of several weeks," mentions another user.
While this comment is correct that the incubation period is usually two weeks to six months, the CDC also states that little information has been verified in regard to the incubation period of the infection on a separate page about the infection.
Kayla explains that while she usually washes wigs before wearing them she was in a rush this time around and didn't before wearing it. Many in the comments also emphasized the importance of washing wigs before you wear them to avoid issues like these.
"So, yea that's it I made a mistake I was rushing, irresponsible and this is where I'm at," Kayla says in another video.
However, Kayla later says she went to a dermatologist for a second opinion and the dermatologist said they don't believe it's molluscum. The dermatologist believes the bumps could be a result of a viral infection that Kayla got from another person or an object/surface. Overall, it's still not clear what condition Kayla is suffering from. Luckily for Kayla, it seems that she is on the road to recovery and posted another video mentioning improvements.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kayla via TikTok message and to Amazon via email.
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*First Published: Mar 24, 2024, 1:00 pm CDT
Marlin RamosMarlin Ramos is a museum educator currently working at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. They founded LUMXN Magazine and is a graduate student at New York University. She loves long walks in nature, doing yoga, and baking!
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