Treatment of molluscum contagiosum: a brief review and discussion of a case successfully treated with adapelene

Abstract

Molluscum contagiosum occur in 2-8 percent of children. This infection is among the most common viral skin infections in children. Although the lesions will resolve spontaneously when puberty, there are several reasons to treat them. The lesions can be cosmetically unappealing. About 10 percent of those with this infection develop a pruritic eczematous eruption. In about 4 percent of children with molluscum, the lesions are numerous and recurrent with no other coexisting immunological problem. Patients who have atopic dermatitis may develop widespread involvement with molluscum. Treatment options include destruction, topical therapy, and oral therapy. Destructive treatment modalities include curettage, cryotherapy, expression or pricking with a sterile needle, electrodesiccation, photodynamic therapy, and laser ablation. Destructive therapy is poorly tolerated in children. Topical medical therapy includes salicylic acid, glycolic acid, tretinoin, tazortene, 5 percent sodium nitrite co-applied daily with 5 percent salicylic acid topical preparations, podofilox, liquefied phenol, tretinoin, cantharidin, and potassium hydroxide. Oral treatment of molluscum includes cimetidine. No therapy is universally effective. I report herein a case of generalized numerous and recurrent molluscum treated with minimal irritation with adapelene.