Dawaa Reference

infectious

Molluscum Contagiosum

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

Molluscum Contagiosum - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (NBK441898), Treatment / Management, which lists the agent among topical therapies - "cantharidin (now available as VP-102), potassium hydroxide, podophyllotoxin, and the newly Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved berdazimer gel (Zelsuvmi)" - and states neither a strength nor an application schedule. The 5% cutaneous solution twice daily to a maximum of 14 days is the MolluDab product instruction; MolluDab is a CE-marked device rather than a licensed medicine and has no SmPC in this corpus. · BAD Guidelines for Molluscum Contagiosum 2017 · Salactol Collodion (salicylic acid 16.7% + lactic acid 16.7%) SmPC sections 4.2-4.3 (eMC product 3766)

Verified against2 documents
  • Molluscum Contagiosum - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (NBK441898), Treatment / Management, which lists the agent among topical therapies - "cantharidin (now available as VP-102), potassium hydroxide, podophyllotoxin, and the newly Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved berdazimer gel (Zelsuvmi)" - and states neither a strength nor an application schedule. The 5% cutaneous solution twice daily to a maximum of 14 days is the MolluDab product instruction; MolluDab is a CE-marked device rather than a licensed medicine and has no SmPC in this corpus.
  • Salactol Collodion (salicylic acid 16.7% + lactic acid 16.7%) SmPC sections 4.2-4.3 (eMC product 3766)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • Small, painless skin bumps appear gradually over weeks to months, sometimes with mild itch or local irritation [itching]
  • Close skin contact with another child, contact sports, or a history of eczema raises the risk of infection and how many lesions form

Signs — what you find (5)

  • Flesh-coloured, dome-shaped papules with a central dimple, typically 2 to 5 mm across [papules]
  • Children usually have 10 to 20 lesions, occasionally over 100 in severe cases
  • In sexually active teens and adults, lesions favour the genital, perineal, and lower abdominal areas rather than the trunk and face seen in children
  • An itchy, scaly, or scratched patch near or between lesions signals the immune system starting to clear them and is not a bacterial superinfection [itching · scaling]
  • With significant immune suppression, lesions can exceed 10 to 15 mm across, turn up in unusual sites like the eyelids, and persist for a long time

Tests (6)

  • It is a clinical diagnosis that usually needs no lab confirmation
  • Lab testing is reserved for atypical presentations, immunocompromised patients, or an unclear diagnosis
  • Skin biopsy or fine-needle aspiration can confirm the diagnosis by finding Henderson-Paterson bodies
  • A PCR test for viral DNA can tell the two viral subtypes apart
  • Imaging is not needed since the disease stays confined to the epidermis
  • Bacterial cultures are rarely needed, only if superinfection is clinically suspected

If not this — what else fits (6)

  • Common warts can look similar but usually lack the central dimple and have a rougher surface
  • Folliculitis lesions, unlike molluscum, tend to be red and tender and may show a central hair
  • Keratosis pilaris and milia both lack the central dimple that marks out molluscum
  • Genital warts lack a central dimple and tend to be larger or more irregular than molluscum
  • In immunocompromised patients, similar lesions can mimic a basal cell carcinoma or a fungal infection such as cryptococcosis, so persistent or fast-growing lesions need a biopsy
  • Mpox and other orthopoxvirus infections can also cause dimpled papules, usually with fever, muscle aches, and swollen glands

SourceStatPearls "Molluscum Contagiosum" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

SALICYLIC ACID

1st line

Formtopical

Adult dose and duration

Apply 10-12% solution carefully to lesion center once daily at night x 2-4 weeks

Paediatric dose

Apply carefully onto lesion only, avoiding surrounding normal skin

Dose source

Salactol Collodion (salicylic acid 16.7% + lactic acid 16.7%) SmPC sections 4.2-4.3 (eMC product 3766)

Why

Keratolytic that softens and dissolves the central keratin plug of molluscum lesions to hasten clearance; used when watchful waiting, the preferred first approach, is not acceptable to the patient or lesions persist.

Cautions
  • Watchful waiting is preferred initial approach as lesions resolve spontaneously within 6-18 months.
  • Protect surrounding normal skin with soft paraffin before applying keratolytic.
  • Avoid squeezing or scratching lesions to prevent autoinoculation and scarring.
  • Not on or near the face, in skin folds, or on the anogenital area - which is where much molluscum actually sits. If the lesions are there, this is the wrong treatment, not a treatment to apply carefully.
  • Not for a diabetic foot, and not where circulation to the foot is poor. The label rules both out flatly. A keratolytic on skin that heals badly is how a wart becomes an ulcer.
Egyptian brands
Egyptian brandManufacturerIndicative price
SALICYLIC ACID COLLODION 12% PAINT B.P.2001? different route - not topicalUNIPHARMA CO. > UNIPHARMA3.00 EGP
SALICYLIC ACID SOAP (WEISER) 45 GM? different route - not topicalWEISER15.00 EGP
2

POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE

2nd line

Formtopical

Adult dose and duration

Apply 5% cutaneous solution twice daily precisely to umbilicated papules until inflammation occurs (max 14 days) - until inflammation occurs (max 14 days)

Paediatric dose

Apply twice daily to lesions under adult supervision; stop application once lesion becomes inflamed

Dose source

Molluscum Contagiosum - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (NBK441898), Treatment / Management, which lists the agent among topical therapies - "cantharidin (now available as VP-102), potassium hydroxide, podophyllotoxin, and the newly Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved berdazimer gel (Zelsuvmi)" - and states neither a strength nor an application schedule. The 5% cutaneous solution twice daily to a maximum of 14 days is the MolluDab product instruction; MolluDab is a CE-marked device rather than a licensed medicine and has no SmPC in this corpus.

Why

Topical alkaline solution induces local inflammatory response leading to clearance.

Cautions
  • CONTRAINDICATED in children under 2 years; do NOT apply to facial, periorbital, mucosal, or genital lesions (risk of severe chemical burn and permanent scarring).
  • Causes localized erythema and stinging which signals immune reaction and resolution; stop application once local inflammation appears.
  • Apply strictly to the central umbilication, protecting surrounding healthy skin.
Egyptian brands

No Egyptian brand matched — prescribe by generic name.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.