A Real Family’s Molluscum + Eczema Journey
Molluscum Contagiosum in Kids: Treatment, Healing Stages & What Helped Us
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Not medical advice. Molluscum contagiosum is a self-limiting virus that usually clears on its own over time. This is our personal experience, not a treatment protocol. Talk to your pediatrician or dermatologist about your child’s specific situation.
About this page: Written by a parent (and RN, MSN) sharing our real experience managing molluscum contagiosum and eczema in our child. This is firsthand experience, not clinical guidance — always check with your own pediatrician or dermatologist. Last updated: August 2026.
The Short Version
My son has eczema and picked up molluscum contagiosum, most likely from swim class. Because his skin barrier was already compromised from topical steroid use for body-wide eczema, the molluscum spread everywhere and turned into a long battle. Dead Sea salt baths were the turning point. Here’s exactly what we did, with photos.
Our Story
Our sweet boy is two, and he’s been dealing with severe eczema since August of 2025, so it’s now been a full year of managing it. He was born six weeks premature, which we’ve always suspected played a role in his skin issues, since preemie skin tends to be underdeveloped and more vulnerable right out of the gate.
Once he started infant rescue swim class, a right of passage in our family, molluscum was basically inevitable on top of everything else. I had molluscum as a kid myself, and my daughter had it six years ago, so I thought I knew what we were in for. What I didn’t expect was how differently it would go once severe eczema was already part of the picture.
We had to get his eczema under control before we could even think about the molluscum, and because he’d been on topical steroids and even an immunosuppressant for his body wide eczema, his skin barrier was severely compromised by the time we started paying attention to the spots. That compromised barrier let the molluscum spread everywhere. He also developed what’s called molluscum dermatitis, where the skin around each bump gets inflamed and looks like eczema, so we were constantly trying to manage two overlapping problems without one flare setting off the other.
Before we found something that worked, we tried a lot of so-called molluscum treatments. I scoured Facebook pages, sure each thing I tried would be the cure. Finally, his dermatologist saw what a problem it was becoming and prescribed a cream called Contagi-Awesome. This did absolutely nothing for the molluscum, it just left his skin angry and peeling. Everything actually changed when we started nightly Dead Sea salt baths on my husband’s suggestion. We saw obvious signs of BOTE (beginning of the end) within about a week, without any new eczema flares. During that stretch we backed off moisturizer almost entirely, opting to only apply it in the mornings every so often, and his eczema remained calm. The salt baths will be staying part of his routine now even after the molluscum clears.
If you’re dealing with just a few spots, count yourself lucky. For us, a year of severe eczema was worse than a year of molluscum ever was. This virus is mostly just persistent and annoying, not dangerous, and it does eventually pass.
What Helped: Dead Sea Salt Baths
We started nightly Dead Sea salt baths on my husband’s suggestion. Within about a week we saw obvious BOTE without new eczema flares. We used roughly 4 cups of salt per 5–6 gallons of warm water (about a full kitchen sink), soaked for 20 minutes, and did not rinse after. We kept moisturizer to mornings only during this period. We used the 19lb bag since we went through it quickly, though they also offer smaller sizes if you want to start smaller.
Minera Dead Sea Salt — 19lb bag, what we used nightly
Skincare We Used Throughout
Tubby Todd All Over Ointment — moisturizer, mornings only
Happy Cappy — the only body wash + shampoo used, nothing else touched him
Can’t Get These Where You Live?
Everything above is available in the U.S., but if you’re outside the country (or just don’t have a Target nearby), Fill My Box can ship these exact products to you — a real person shops them in Florida and ships them wherever you are.
Oral Zinc
Alongside the baths, our son has also been taking an oral zinc supplement, and we’ve seen a noticeable difference in both his eczema and the molluscum since starting it.
Talk to your pediatrician first
Zinc supplementation isn’t something to start on your own, especially for a toddler — the right dose matters, and too much can cause its own problems.
MaryRuth’s Toddler Zinc — what we used
What We Tried For Extraction
Once cores were clearly surfacing, we tried pore strips after a warm soak, letting them dry about 30 minutes before removing. This was a MUCH better experience than manually removing with tweezers as Facebook often suggests. We peeled them off without him even noticing.
A caution here
This can cause bleeding, and some dermatologists don’t recommend manual extraction since it carries a risk of spreading the virus to nearby skin. This is what we chose to do, not a universal recommendation. Talk to your pediatrician or dermatologist first.
Biore Pore Strips — sized for facial use, we cut them down to size for our needs
What Did Not Work For Us
Topical zinc, pimple patches, hydrocolloid patches, iodine, tea tree oil, and pretty much every product marketed as a molluscum cure. Quick rinses instead of full baths didn’t stop spreading either.
Molluscum Questions, Answered Honestly
How long does molluscum contagiosum last?
Most cases clear on their own within six months to a year, though some last longer — in rarer cases up to a few years, especially with a weaker immune system.
Is there a cure for molluscum contagiosum?
No. There’s currently no medication or treatment proven to cure it outright or reliably speed up resolution. Most dermatology guidelines recommend simply monitoring it, since it resolves on its own in most healthy people. Anything marketed as a “cure,” including the products linked here, should be treated with skepticism — we’re sharing what we did, not a guaranteed fix.
What is BOTE (“beginning of the end”)?
A term used in parent communities for when molluscum bumps become inflamed and red right before the body’s immune response clears them.
Is molluscum dermatitis the same as eczema?
Molluscum dermatitis is a reaction some people develop around the bumps as the immune system responds to the virus, and it can look and behave like eczema even in people who don’t otherwise have it. In someone who already has eczema, like our son, it can be hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
If you’re also dealing with severe eczema, here’s what’s helped us with that too: How We Manage Severe Eczema
Have Questions?
I’ve been through this with two kids now, an easy case and a hard one. If you’re dealing with something similar, ask away in the comments below. I’ll do my best to answer. Remember this is just a moment in time and it will pass. Molluscum free days are ahead!
20 responses to “Molluscum Contagiosum in Kids: Treatment, Healing Stages & What Helped Us”
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did it hurt them when you removed the pore strips? How long did you leave them on?
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Not at all! I put them on while the skin was sopping wet straight from the bath and let him wrinkle around with just a diaper for 30 minutes to make sure they were hard and dry. Then I told him we were taking his stickers off and he loved the whole experience. I was worried it might hurt too, but the cores that can be removed were so superficial after the bath, it was like nothing. Be prepared for the typical bleeding that happens once you remove the cores though!
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what did you put on them after the pore strips?
thank you so much for all this advice. It’s so appreciated.
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Of course! I’m happy to help! I put gauze and paper tape on them until they stopped bleeding then swiped them with zinc paste, but him in a sleeper then he went to bed. I only used the zinc paste once because it’s too drying and will cause eczema in my son. After that, in the morning I would use the Tubby Todd all over. He got these baths daily. I only used the pore strips for maybe 3 days and only when they looked ready to pop like a pimple. No point trying when they don’t! This was all enough for the body to recognize the virus and for BOTE to begin.
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my daughters have got sore now, quite weepy and very red. Should I try zinc to dry them up?
im covering with hydrocolloid but they aren’t drying out. Feel like ice made them worse 😢
i couldn’t get the pore strips to stick at all when I tried those.
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Hydrocolloid is keeping them moist so I would skip that entirely. Zinc would definitely help dry them out! If they’re weepy, then the more strips can’t grip. I would do the salt baths, then follow up with the zinc paste. They should dry up pretty quickly that way. Are you seeing any cores?
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What did you use to treat just the eczema? My daughter has developed eczema on her eye lid and under her eye. She had 2 small bumps in her eyebrows and it became very dry around the eye. I used aquaphor before bed the other night and it was not a good outcome when she woke up. Inflamed and itchy. We have never dealt with eczema so I’m not sure what to use 😐
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Tubby Todd! That’s the only thing that doesn’t cause my son to flare. I would clean/pat dry with this spray too often, after he was outside and sweat a lot and especially before I would moisturize: https://amzn.to/4bRgrJS
My 9 year old randomly had dry, peeling eyelids this summer. It must have been all of the swimming she was doing. Tubby Todd and it cleared it right up! Definitely apply right out of the bath while the skin is still moist to lock in the moisture too.
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Thank you so much for your response. I’ve just ordered both items and it sounds identical with the eyelids this summer especially after swimming.
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Any time! 🙂
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Hi a few questions
How many baths/Soaks did you do before you did a pore strip? when did the core surface?
Did you put on anything during the day other than tubby todd?
after the cores were removed you briefly used zinc paste?
how long did you do the baths for? when did you know they were healing/gone?
thanks
Sam
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We started seeing BOTE signs about 5-6 days into the baths. The cores pushed to the surface so instead of a dimple, it was more like a white point. That’s also how I knew it was ready for pore strips. I did not apply anything other than Tubby Todd unless there was some eczema that was acting up and in that case I added a hydrogel wound gel that I use. It’s currently out of stock. It’s called Amerigel. Once the bleeding stopped after removing the cores, I did swipe it with 40% zinc paste and that was the ONLY time I used the zinc. I just didn’t want his sleepers to stick to any blood and that helped. We did the baths for close to two weeks and now we do it 2x a week because it worked so well for his eczema, but we’re not as stringent on the 20 minutes time frame. I knew they were healing/gone when I saw what looked like small bumps that were about to form molluscum on area like his knees and even a few on his face turn into scabs within a day or two. I knew the immune system was taking over at that point. It was like all would be molluscum just surfaced and scabbed at the same time and the older molluscum got very angry looking and formed heads within days.
Our doctor told us no baths, that would make it worse. And I worry because my daughters is on her inner thighs and but, so when she’s sitting in the tub, will this just not spread it more? Did you disinfect the tub every time afterwards?
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We thought and were told the same thing, but the salt baths penetrated the molluscum so quickly and got us to BOTE in days so there was no time to spread. I think why this bath works is because the salt water has time to absorb into the skin and molluscum to start working on the virus. It would be impossible for much to penetrate the skin in a shower. We used the sink since he’s little and we just cleaned it like usual.
My daughter has a handful of bumps. Mostly her inner knees, but I have seen a couple small one near her bikini area. Usually they clear one or two at a time. It’s been such a long process! Currently they are not red or irritated. Is that when you started the baths or were yours already irritated and angry and the baths just brought the cores out sooner?
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Half and half. My son’s were irritated by dermatitis/eczema on a lot of the areas affected by molluscum, but the areas that just looked like regular molluscum warts without any eczema were the last to go. I’d say it took about a week of baths for them to start turning to BOTE.
Hi! Thank you for this. 14 long months of battling molloscum on my 6 year old’s inner thighs, groin, butt, and legs. Her bump locations – like inside her butt crack – make it so scary to try to treat and allow to open! Dermatologist told me open MC bumps can get infected with fecal matter there. My paranoia is high and lots of tears have been shed…any advice for that location? Buying the Dead Sea salt to try!
Thank you again.
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Definitely the sea salt baths, but I would also use diaper cream/zinc paste for protection from any fecal matter only when the molluscum pops and I would do that for a full day or so until it scabs over. 40% zinc cream like Desitin would work best!
Hi, I love th idea of yhe natural Dead Sea salt bath, but very concerned about the cores. The patches below remove them, did they leave any scars/ pock marks?
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Not that I’m seeing. He does still have hyperpigmentation in the areas that had eczema and molluscum. This is common for him. He gets this in areas where it was eczema only as well. He had a few on his arms that I got with pointed tweezers in the very beginning that left zero marks at all. With my daughter, I had used the pointed tweezers to pop them out and she has zero scarring. I am the only one with pock marks since the Dr had me remove them myself at around 9 or 10 with two popsicle sticks squeezed together at the base of each molluscum. I don’t believe it was the method as much as the location- chunky inner thighs!
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