General Question

jqwilson's avatar

Does Molloscum go away on its own?

Asked by jqwilson (5points) May 21st, 2008

In early 2004, a doctor confirmed that I had “molloscum” – 3 tiny red bumps on my penis – 1mm in diameter each. I haven’t noticed an “outbreak” since….did it just go away or is this something I need to tell my future sexual partners about?

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2 Answers

marinelife's avatar

From the American Academy of Dermatology It may take from 6 months up to 5 years for all of the molluscum to go away. They may be more persistent in people with a weakened immune system.

You may want to talk to your doctor. If you have no lesions (and none in incubation), which it appears from what you have said, you do not, then you are not contagious any longer.

shilolo's avatar

Marina is right. Molluscum is not the same thing as genital warts or herpes. Molluscum is caused by a poxvirus, genital warts by a papilloma virus and genital herpes by a herpesvirus. Molluscum does not occur in the form of an outbreak per se, unlike herpes, and often occurs in kids and adolescents who aren’t sexually active (they get it from contact with someone else). Moreover, if the lesions are gone, then you aren’t contagious. In contrast, people with genital herpes shed herpes virus even when they have no lesions. That is why lots of people get herpes even though their partners don’t have lesions at the time. In summary, you need not mention the molluscum.

You could get yourself tested for herpes because that is something you might want to mention to future partners. I try to dissuade people from thinking that herpes is a stigma. 30% of the US population has herpes, and so whether you get it or not during your lifetime is really just a question of luck, not necessarily sexual promiscuity.

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