Molluscum Contagiosum: What finally worked after months of trial and error

In mid-2016, I noticed a couple of flesh-colored bumps on my 8 year old son’s knee. I didn’t think too much of it. I thought they were just bumps- like an ingrown hair or a wart. In October, I noticed there were more… a lot more. He had several on each knee, one on his bicep and a few on his big toe.

I took him to the doctor and got the diagnosis- molluscum contagiosum- a viral infection that causes these bumps. There’s no cure. The only treatment they could offer was to burn them off- a very painful procedure that can cause scarring. My son said thanks, but no thanks. He’d wait it out.

That’s when the doctor informed us the infection could last 6-8 months. In the meantime he had to keep the bumps covered so his brother wouldn’t catch it. This meant long pants, long sleeved shirts and socks at all times. No swimming in our backyard pool. No sharing or even reusing towels.

My son was devastated at these restrictions, so I set out to get as much information as possible and to try everything I could to get rid of these hellish bumps so he could be free to do the things he loves.

I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you’re on the same path I was, trying to find anything, ANYTHING that will at least shorten the time frame. Here, I share my journey with you and reveal what did and didn’t help.

First, I paid $32 for a tiny bottle of Zymaderm. (Hint: it’s cheaper on Amazon, but I wanted to start it that day). It seemed to help, at first. Two or three of the bumps on one leg went away, and I got really excited. The problem was, that while those few little bumps were fading, double that were popping up elsewhere. More surrounding his knees, in his armpits and down his chest. And to make matters worse, after those few initial bumps, none of the rest had any change. Overall, this medicine failed.

Next, I had a friend make me blend of essential oils that seemed to help when her son contracted the virus. I don’t know everything that was in it, but the main oil that she thought helped was Thieves, a blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary essential oils. Applying this to his bumps daily did nothing. This medicine failed.

Next, I tried pricking a bump with a needle. I read that busting the core (the thick, white/yellow center) would allow blood to get in and actually form antibodies that would fight the infection and get rid of the bumps. My son screamed the second the needle touched him. Fail.

Then I tried rubbing alcohol (I read somewhere that it will fight the infection and…you know the rest). I applied it to the bumps twice a day. At night, I saturated a piece of cotton ball with alcohol and apply it to a bump or two, placing a bandage over it to keep it in place overnight. Sometimes, the bumps would appear smaller in the morning, giving me hope. But they didn’t go away. Fail.

Epsom salt bath. Fail.

Apple cider vinegar. Fail.

Next, on the advice of another mom with experience in this matter, I bought regular tea tree oil at the store. The bottle said it was for aromatherapy uses only, but by this point, I was desperate. My son was contemplating enduring the pain and scarring and asking me if I’d consider taking him in to have them burned off.  So, I bought the aromatherapy tea tree oil and started applying it to the bumps twice a day. Slowly, a few of the bumps started coming to a head. This meant that the core came up to the skin surface so my son could pluck it out. He wouldn’t let me touch them, because this does hurt, a lot. The problem was, he was getting an excema-like rash around the bumps. His skin was scaly and red.

I thought I’d found the cure. The one thing that was going to put an end to my son’s torment after months of daily treatments with one terrible smelling concoction after another. I mentioned it to my friend Michelle, who’s face immediately contorted in horror when I told her I was putting the tea tree oil on my son’s skin.

She told me it was synthetic, not pure, and that it was probably burning his skin. I light bulb went off- that’s why he was getting all those dry, red patches. I was literally burning him. That’s real parent-of-the-year material, right there. FAIL!!!!!!

Michelle made me promise not to put that stuff on him again, and said she would make me a blend of real essential oils to help. I was skeptical. I mean, I’d tried an essential oil blend already and it didn’t work. But, being desperate as I was, I readily agreed.

She gave me this blend in a tiny spray bottle and advised me to spritz it on and spread it around with my fingers at least twice a day. That was on Friday, February 17th, 2017. As of Monday, February 27th, my son was molluscum-free. 

What I mean is, after applying this blend (that actually smells good!) for less than 10 days, every bump my son had came to head so he could pluck it out. The bled and looked like sores for a few days, then healed up. No new bumps formed during the use of it, either. My son was literally dancing around the house while I cried after plucking out the core of the last bump.

He can wear shorts. He doesn’t have to wear socks to bed. He’ll be able to swim when summer hits.

For those of you searching for a remedy, I wanted to share, so I got the recipe from my friend. Here it is:

(These are DōTERRA essential oils.)

melaleuca

on guard

frankincense

arborvitae

Just add a drop of these into a small bottle with coconut oil as the base.

Here is her website where you can order these oils or you can contact her on Facebook if you have any questions.

Good luck on your own journey. I hope this helps!!

Wendi