Treating Molluscum with Tea Tree Oil
It has now been over 6 weeks since our last doctor’s visit. My daughter’s molluscum warts seem to be getting better and not one of them has become infected like before.
We have been dealing with molluscum (a viral, pearl like wart that doctors say will go away on its own) for almost a year. In the past the cycle has been that a new outbreak would occur, with 2-5 new molluscum appearing. Usually one of these molluscum would end up getting extremely infected before it erupted and went away. Because they were getting so infected, I had to keep taking my daughter into the doctors where they would lance the molluscum, drain the infection, send it off to be tested (because my doctor is obsessed with MRSA) and then put her on antibiotics.
I didn’t feel like this vicious cycle was getting any better and frankly, I don’t like my kids being on antibiotics on a regular basis.
After doing more research and consulting with my doctor, we came up with a plan that seems to be working.
On Sunday evenings when I bathe my daughter, once we are done with all the hair washing, my doctor recommended adding 2-3 tablespoons of bleach to her bath water. I add the bleach and she continues to soak for 5-10 minutes. This helps to eliminate any bacteria on the outside of the skin.
Every morning and evening, she plays dot-to-dot with a cotton swab and Tea Tree Essential Oil . The tea tree oil has its own natural antibiotic and antifungal properties.
The combination of the two treatments really seems to be working. The molluscum are smaller, they are crusting over on their own and much quicker, and we have not had one get infected for almost two months.
GET THE UPDATE: The molluscum are finally gone!
I’m really glad you’ve found something thats working for her. I love the idea of giving her control of dabbing the tea-tree oil on.
I’ve got some Tea Tree Oil comments in the link I provided w/this comment.
Just in case you wanted to see what others were saying about it.
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Just a thought, if I were you I would not be adding bleach to my childs bath water. On the back of bleach bottles it specifically states to not allow the chemical to come in contact with your skin and to immediatly wash with water if it does.
Tea tree oil is a natural anti-septic that will kill any germs or bacterial that are on her skin or in the bath water. You can add the oil simply to the bath and remove the bleach all together. You can use lavendar oil as well which is a natural disenfectant.
I am not passing judgment at all, its just there are others things to add to the water and let her soak in that will kill germs and not your baby.
Just a thought.
Cami – the amount of bleach that goes in to the bath water is extremely small – it is very diluted but does work. I always recommend you consult your family doctor first, but this did work for us.
Tea tree oil is wonderful and I never thought to use it on its own directly in the bath. Luckily our course of treatment did work and my daughter has been molluscum free for two years.
I just wanted to briefly let people know what worked for us. My 11-year old daughter came down with Molluscum. We went to the dermatologist and had it frozen, that seemed to hurt, then it spread. I read on various blogs about tea tree oil and bleach baths (1/2 cup of bleach per bath, once a week). I also came across medical studies about treating eczema with the bleach baths, where they had had great success. I did the bleach bath once a week. Each morning and night I would use tea tree oil, dab a bit on each wart with a q-tip. We also used tea tree oil soap in the shower. In addition, I had also read Australian Lemon Myrtle is good. This is strong stuff needs to be diluted with some kind of other oil, olive oil or Vit E oil. ( 1 drop lemon myrtle, 5 drops other oil). Lemon Myrtel is hard to find and I had to buy it on the internet. Once I got it in the mail, I alternated it with the Tea Tree oil, dabbing on the warts. Lastly, I bought my daughter some mega vitamins specifically for teens with plenty of Vit E which is good for the skin.
Now, three weeks later, her molluscum is gone. The only thing left is a little scare which will clear up in time–kind of like when you have had mosquito bite.
Hope this is helpful for someone. If you are going to do a bleach bath, please consult with a doctor first, or check out information on a reputable site like Mayo Clinic or WebMD. Good luck with it!
Our daughter started getting these on her behind when she was about one year old… The pediatrician told us to ignore them and they would go away on their own. Over the next year, more bumps started appearing until she had about 15 of them. We took her to a dermatologist and went the beetle juice route. We had to hold her down kicking and screaming. I have a hard time believing that this treatment is painless, as I’ve never seen my daughter lose her mind like that! It was just awful. When we got home I came across this site and started reading about the tea tree oil. I also read some other posts that were horrible about the beetle juice; saying that it made the problem worse, etc. When we got home from the dermatologist, we waited about 3 hours and removed the bandages. The blisters were frightening and really terrible looking. I ran to the health food store and got Tea Tree Melaleuca body wash. We decided to stop taking baths (the virus apparently thrives in a wet environment) and do showers only, with the tea tree soap and a new towel each time. We would then put her to bed with no clothing, not even a diaper, and let the blisters air out overnight. I can’t say for sure if it was the beetle juice or the tea tree soap, but they are completely gone now. I’m going to assume it was probably a combination of both, but she has healed up perfectly and no new bumps have appeared. Even the 2 or 3 warts that the dermatologist wasn’t able to get to (because of the kicking and screaming) are gone. Maybe we got lucky or maybe there is something to this, but I just thought I’d share our experience. Good luck!!
My son (5) was diagnosed with MC about 6weeks ago, and we were told to do nothing and they should go away in 18mos. Well, we did nothing, and it got much worse, so we decided to try tea tree oil. I realize that the oil will not cure the virus, but it is AMAZING how it attacks the symptoms of the virus (the bumps) in the last 8 days of using tea tree oil in the a.m. and p.m. my son’s MC are barely visible and have declined to a total of 12 from over 30. WORTH A TRY!!!
Hi,
I would like to know if the tea tree oil needs to be diluted before applying to the skin, or I can just apply it directly without diluting.
Monica – when we put the tea tree oil directly on the molluscum we did not dilute it at all, however, if you are using tea tree oil on a larger area or an area of healthy skin you should dilute it.
I’ve heard a lot about the tea tree oil! I am going to begin using it and I really hope that it works.I am 18 years old and I’ve had MC for about 5 months now and continue going back and forth to the doctor for cryotherapy. Which is EXTREMELY painful. The cryotherapy does work, but like I said, it’s painful at first and then leaves less-than-nice looking marks which take a few weeks to diminish. It’s hard to believe that something I’ve had just sitting at my house could possibly help me with this. I was beginning to get very negative about my situation and wishing it would go away. Hopefully everything turns out good!
My daughter age 4 started with just 1 bump on each leg now she has about 25. I am going to get tea tree oil tomorrow! Thanks for the tips! Hope it works she will be crushed if she can’t go swimming by summer.
My 19 month old son is suffering from MC and it makes me want to cry! Went to derm where they used “bettle juice” which resulted in HUGE blisters(was not told this would happen) and a very unhappy little boy. Needless to say, I will not be going back for another treatment. Talked to his ped today and gave me rx for Zantac becasue there is research that it can help get rid of MC. Also going to try tea tree oil but wondering if it needs diluted how I go about doing that? Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks
With my daughter I did not dilute the Tea Tree Oil. I simply used a q-tip and dabbed the Tea Tree Oil directly on the Molluscum – not on her skin. I hope your little one finds relief.
Thank you! His spots are so small I would be worried I would get some on good skin and concerned how to treat the ones that in a cluster. Do you cover the spots with band-aids after putting the oil on them? If i were to dilute it, do you just dilute it with another oil? Char, did your daughter fined relief?
my daughter had molluscum for about 9 months and just got worse and worse. i took her to the naturopath and the dermatologist and neither of them had any solutions that would work. this skin condition caused me soooo much anxiety as i did not want to give it to my friend’s kids and we live in hawaii where we wear swimsuits year round! after a lot of tears, i formulated a plan. i washed her clothes and towels in hot water. we never used a bath towel more than once. we also NEVER took tubs, showers only. hot water makes it spread. i also gave her acidophilus to boost her immune system. i kept the sores covered by wearing pants and practiced really good hygeine. lastly i applied undiluted tea tree oil everynight after the shower with a qtip. i bought an expensive one by that company melaleuca and worked like a miracle. it took 3 weeks for all the bumps to go away. i wish i would have done it sooner and saved myself alot of stress and tears! also, when they started to get red and look like they were going to pop, i would cover them with a bandaid. this is when they are most contagious!!! if there was a large cluster i painted on that liquid bandage stuff made by nuskin i think.
a few more things— i was so paranoid about the bumps spreading to her face or other areas that we washed her hands often. keeping her covered in clothes prevented her from scratching and then spreading the molluscum. if they are itchy, use hydrocortisone…anything to keep them from scratching.
My daughter has had molluscum since October 2010…so its been 5 months now. She has atopic dermatitis (eczema), which is makes her more succeptible. She is currently battling the molluscum and a “super infection” of staph -and eczema. A super infection is an infection as a result of the molluscum. She was on tagament 300mg/5ml twice a day -along with bendryl for the itching, which did work for sometime -but the molluscum seem to be coming back. Also, she gets these random bumps that look like hives or bed-bug bites, except they feel more firm/hard. Not sure what these are. I’m going to try the tea tree oil.
My 7yr old starting getting the bumps after a trip to the beach, Labor Day 2010. She has suffered from severe eczema all her life, so I thought it was some ‘type’ of eczema. Until the patch on her leg spread to her other leg, then her torso, etc. I took her to the derm, who put her on aldera, cryotherapy….same story. Completely burned her skin! I just came from the naturopathic store and was told to try Thuja ointment/pills. I also picked up the tea tree oil because I saw many positive posts. I will keep everyone updated. I feel for you all because I know what my family has been dealing with. Best of luck!!
I am encouraged by the positive comments about using tea tree oil. My 6 year old has been troubled by MC since October 2010.
We’ll be switching to showers and applying tea tree oil daily. I’m hopefull it will clear up before summer.
I am so encouraged to see the ideas on this – we are now in our second round (second child) of MC — first child was 6 when she got it and 9 when it was completely resolved – now, my 11 year old has it and my little one has 3 on the knee — I am going to try the tea tree oil – I have always used that for me when I have my eyebrows done – it works great! or on a burn, never thought of trying it on the MC – will keep you posted – summer is coming, shorts, pools, etc….we have tried aldara but it takes forever and is horrible on the healthy skin surrounding the MC — why is there not more about this horrible virus?
Hi, my daughter is 6 and has had Molluscum for about a year. She has them all around her face- eyelids above and under, the sides of her cheeks, on her forhead, around her chin and lips, one is now actually on her lip and now I am putting a bacterial cream on it praying it will not spread.. I have taken her to several dermatologist and they have either said to have them removed and the others have said they will go away on their on. My daughter stays upset over her face and it breaks my heart . I’ve read about different creams on the web but to sceared to try, and I don’t think I could with them being around her eyes.. So my question is would the tea tree oil harm the face?
Tiffany- so sorry to hear she has the molluscum around her eyes! I would be very careful with the tea tree oil near her eyes as I think it would burn. Try the tea tree oil on the ones away from her eyes first. My teens use tea tree oil directly on pimples, too and it works great – no harm to the face.
Hi all,
I just wish to share my experience with Molluscum as i feel it may help others. Sorry to hear Tiffany that they´re on your daughters face, not sure what to advise there.
My daughters are now 8 and 3 and have both had it for nearly 2 years, at first i ignored it, but it did get worse.
It was easier with my eldest daughter to try things, as she was more patient. So i concentrated more on getting rid of hers first.
I just make sure my girls do not bath together or share towels, infact i was their towels and nightclothes daily, it stopped the spreading, so then i could try to get rid of the ones she had.
My first purcahse was Zyaderm, not sure if it worked, maybe it was in my head, but it seemed to a little.
But then she seemed to get a break out of them again, 10 to 20 on her trunk of her body, spreading to the inside of her upper arm.
I tried Duofilm, which stung a lot ( if went on skin) but this seemed to bring the wart out, it was like i was annoying it. Occasionally i squeezed a couple, the ones which looked like huge white heads, then once it bled i covered in Benatine and covered with a small plaster.
Only a couple of weeks ago, now they looked terrilbe and the plasters had caused rashes too, i was really upset as they looked really bad.
I covered the area in sudocream and the next day they looked so much better, and now have all started scabbing over and disappearing.
I have only in the last weeks read about bleach, and was going to try, have also read about adding vinegar to the bath water daily.
I have been adding vinegar to both my daughters bath water and even my youngest ones are now starting to scab over and go.
I just hope they all go for good, the worst thing i did was ignore it.
For me once i found something that brought them out ( to a head) i could deal with each one, and was extra extra careful not to cause spreading at all anywhere or with anyone.
Tiffany, my daughter had 2 on her chin. When the middle one came to a head, i did use Duofilm, but was worried. But luckily it scabbed over and fell off and then the other ones went too.
Its very difficult to deal with on the body, let alone on the face.
I wouldnt suggest using the things i did, unless you check with a dermotolgist.
Char – Thanks for maintaining the blog on molluscum and tea tree. My 4 year old son has had molluscum lesions for 2 1/2 years. The pediatrician said “leave them alone and they’ll go away.” A year later a pediatric dermatologist said “treat the skin for eczema and leave the molluscum alone and they’ll go away.” You can guess the results. This spring when the weather began to warm, they got much worse. In April a friend suggested Tea Tree Oil. I found your blog and began to read. I began Tea Tree treatment and saw immediate improvement in the first week; two and half months later they are gone.
Instead of dabbing at the lesions (there were too many to be selective) I painted the entire area with Tea Tree w/o any issues.
We are now using Tea Tree on mosquito bites, chiggers, athlete’s foot, pimples – you name it. Great results.
Thanks again!
I just found out that my son has this condition (he is 3). We have only had the spots for the last 2 weeks but was worried about what it might be. The dr today suggested the tea tree oil and after reading the variety of things online will be trying it starting tonight. Thanks for all of the comments about this!!!! I am starting to be a little less worried about this condition.
My 3 year old has MC an last week he got a “super infection”. The docs prescribe Benadryl, antibiotic and some oitmment. It has been 2 years fighting this nightmare.The dermatologist recommended bleach bath… I am afraid of allergies from the tea tree oil…please advise !
I really think the bleach bath plus the tea tree oil made the difference for us.
I live in the uk and my daughter (10) has been diagnosed with MC , our GP said to leave alone and it will clear up on it’s own but can take up to 18 months!!! This page has been alot of help and as soon as the shops open tomorrow I will be buying some tea tree oil, she has it under her left arm and is starting to get worse!! I will also try boosting her immune system!!! Fingers crossed I can help my little girl as I seem to be getting no help from professionals!
My 6 years old has MC on half of her body… mostly armpit, arms, belly and trunk. I am using the Apple Cider Vinegar as I see in many websites, but she is crying so much because it stings and stinks a lot… When I was a child and had chicken pox I used to bath with a product called: “Potassium Permanganate” that you diluite in water… it is very purple and stains everywhere, but I will give it a try since is an antiseptic and helps to treat Eczema, which my daughter also has… I will tomorrow buy the tea tree oil and stop with the ACV… now I think I have it… I don’t know if it is psychologic or I am seeing “pimples” everywhere on my body… anyways, does anybody knows if you had had “chicken pox” can you still get MC???
Thank you so much!!!!
My daughter first had the bumps appear about 3 months ago. Two of them became inflamed, infected, and then became very hard lumps underneath. Took he to to the Dr and they put her on antibotics. After a few days they became worst so we went back to the DR. they immediently sent us into surgery because they were scared of MERSA… This ewas very tramatic for us to say the least!!!! She had two other spots at the time. I asked the dr and surgeon if they could remove them while she was in surgery for the others. They said they looked ok, Well….. here we go again, yet another one is inflamed and infected. God i hope they dont suggest surgery again followed by weeks of antibotics. The testbafter the surgery came back NEGATIVE for Mersa.. I cant help but wonder if all could have been avoided some how…. I hate her being on all these meds…. Any suggestions are very welcome… thanks
My 4-year old daughter has been having molluscum for 6 mos now,it started during the summer. I’ve tried the aldarra cream prescribed by the dermatologist but it didn’t work. Her Molluscum got worse,first it was only two bumps on her face,now its all over around her lips,nose,around the eyes,her body,arms..feels so sorry for my little girl
i will try the tree oil and the bleach bath once a week..i hope and pray it will work.thank you
I put cotton balls soaked with Bragg’s vinegar on my 9 year old daughter’s mollescum every night for about 10 days and it was definitely working – they were scabbing up and turning white or black, and little ones would just disappear. But her skin around the mollescum was extremely irritated and being burned by the acidic vinegar. We switched to Tea Tree Oil – dabbed it on full strength with qtips in morning and at night, did not cover with bandaids unless it looked like it might erupt. It works just as well – maybe even better than the vinegar, and doesn’t cause her any pain!! We’ve been doing it for two weeks, and we have even skipped a few days here and there because we forgot or she spent the night out. She now only has 1 left (she had about 30 on her knee and lower leg) and that one has already scabbed over and will be gone soon! I didn’t know about bleach baths, so I didn’t do that. However, I haven’t let her take baths (only showers) because I have been so worried about it spreading to other more sensitive areas. I think that a tiny amount of bleach in the bath water is a good idea for those with young ones who aren’t ready to shower.
Well, I must say that the Tea Tree Oil treatment has worked extremely well for my son so far. It has been less than a week of treatment and the pimple like formations are receding.
My son has been bothered by these MC outbreaks for about a year now. Reading this post, I must say that the breakouts have not been as severe as some of the ones on this site. However, they have come and gone this past year in various areas and in small clusters. Sometimes just one pimple or up to three. They have affected his forearms, torso, underarms, and thighs.
His most recent one, and the one I have been treating has been in his armpit. I started the Tea Tree Treatment there less than a week ago and it has already receded to the point that it is almost gone. It started out looking like a regular pimple. I started the treatment and it quickly progressed to the point where it became white (the point right before it pops). It has since popped and is receding. I am extremely happy that it has worked so well.
I am monitoring him closely. He has other MC spots popping up on his back and torso. But they are at the very beginning stages. So I am treating those new spots aggressively. Add to the fact that I am having him bathe at night w/ a different washcloth, having him change his PJ’s daily, and changing his towel daily after his bath. Add to this changing his bedsheets more than usual. This is working for me thus far.
Thanks to everyone to has posted. You have helped change a life.
My daughter has been dealing with MC for 6 months now. They started on her knee and ankles and spread to her bottom. Her bottom are the ones that has become infected. She has visted her pediatrician several times receiving advice that they will go away on their own, retinin A gel to burn them and antibiotic cream.
I have been treating them with tea tree oil and olive oil, she complained of her bottom being too cold after appling full strength. They has become larger/reddened and pustulas forming on several of them. Will they recede after this?
I also found a cream “Conzerol” (antipoxin) that claim it has antiviral properties against the poxvirus. They claim wart disappear in 7-12 days. They have a money back guarentee. Has anyone used this cream?
Thanks for the great tips of showering, washing ALL linen and using tea tree oil on other insect bites.
Tea tree oil definetly works. We apply it every morning directly to the area and it is diminshing daily…
My 5 year old daughter has had MC for 8 months now. We have been to two dermatologists. Freezing them did not work and the Veregen prescription cream which I have been applying twice daily has just irritated the heck out of her skin (burning it). My daughter is so uncomfortable as her skin gets more aggravated and itchy. The MC has only worsened and spread over the months. I just started tea tree oil tonight and am crossing my fingers it works.