What do mollusca look like?
Molluscum lesions are small, round bumps that look waxy and measure 1-6 millimeters in size. Larger mollusca have a small pit in the center (“umbilication,” meaning “having a navel”). It is harder to see the pit in smaller mollusca unless they are frozen with liquid nitrogen, which is one of the common treatments for this disorder. (See below) Sometimes mollusca become red, swollen, and inflamed. Rather than an indication that they are infected with bacteria, this change usually means that the mollusca are going away. Young children often get mollusca on their chest and under their arms, but this condition can affect the legs, groin, or most anywhere. Adults commonly get mollusca in the groin, which leads to the assumption that they must be sexually transmitted. At times there may be a single, large molluscum in an unusual place, like the face. Some patients, especially children with a tendency to have eczema, get patches of dermatitis (inflamed skin) around the molluscum lesions.
