Infectious molluscum is more common in children at play age and can spread over a fairly large area of skin. It is a viral infection that spreads by contact or through contaminated surfaces or objects. The mollusc typically looks like a shiny, 1-10 mm in diameter papule, higher than the skin, with a depression in the middle, the “tail”.
Infectious molluscs are treated with mollusc tweezers (the infective mass is squeezed out, the shell is removed), freezing or diathermy. In the case of extensive skin bruising, the procedure will take longer, so it may be more appropriate for children to have a general anaesthetic.
