Molluscum contagiosum is a mild skin disease caused by a virus (molluscum contagiosum virus, a member of the Poxviridae family) that causes painless small bumps (flesh-colored, dome-shaped papules; some may be umbilicated, meaning the lesion has a central depression with a spot in the middle that resembles a navel) on the skin. The disease occurs worldwide but is more prevalent in warm, humid climates. It is a common infection in children; direct person-to-person contact, sexual contact, and contaminated items like clothing, towels, or other objects may transmit the infection.
The virus can infect all other parts of the body by autoinoculation (self-transfer of the virus to another area of the skin).
The cause is a virus, molluscum contagiosum virus, a member of the poxvirus family. The virus only survives in the skin, and when the lesions are gone, the person no longer is contagious.
- The first signs and symptoms of molluscum contagiosum are small painless papules (raised bumps or lumps) on the skin (molluscum lesions).
- It often appears as a raised, pearly pinkish nodule or redness on the skin; some nodules contain a dimple in the center.
- Most molluscum lesions are small, about 2-5 mm in diameter. Inside the nodule, sometimes there is a cheesy whitish core. The lesions may become itchy, sore, and reddened if scratched.
- The lesions can appear anywhere on the body (face, mouth, genital area, penis, or vagina, for example).
Any well qualified doctor can diagnose molluscum contagiosum just by looking at it.