Podiatry : Molluscum Contagiosum

Anti-Fungal Therapy |Arthritis/Inflammation | Athlete’s Foot | Diabetic Neuropathy |Molluscum Contagiosum | Nail Infection/Removal | Plantar Warts/Warts | Wound Care | Iontophoresis & Phonophoresis | Examples of Compounded Medications


Resistant warts and molluscum contagiosum have been treated successfully with compounded topical medications, avoiding discomfort associated with freezing, scraping, electrocautery and laser therapy.

Therapy with 10% KOH was found to be effective and safe in the treatment of molluscum contagiosum (MC) in children, although a stinging sensation was reported by most children during the trial and some developed hyper- or hypopigmentation after treatment at the site of the lesions.

Pediatr Dermatol. 1999 May-Jun;16(3):228-31.
Treatment of molluscum contagiosum with potassium hydroxide: a clinical approach in 35 children.
Romiti R et al.
Click here to access the PubMed abstract of this article.

In an attempt to reduce the side effects (stinging sensation & hyper- or hypopigmentation) found with use of 10% KOH, a new trial of 20 children used a less concentrated KOH solution (5%) for treatment of molluscum contagiosum (MC). The 5% KOH aqueous solution proved to be as effective as and less irritating than 10% KOH, and spared children from more aggressive physical modalities of treatment.

Pediatr Dermatol. 2000 Nov-Dec;17(6):495.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of 5% potassium hydroxide for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum.
Romiti R, Ribeiro AP, Romiti N.
Click here to access the PubMed abstract of this article.
These studies showed that 5% imiquimod cream and 10% KOH solution are equally effective in treating molluscum contagiosum, although KOH has a faster onset of action.

Ann Dermatol. 2010 May;22(2):156-62. Epub 2010 May 17.
An open, randomized, comparative clinical and histological study of imiquimod 5% cream versus 10% potassium hydroxide solution in the treatment of molluscum contagiosum.
Seo SH, Chin HW, Jeong DW, Sung HW.
Click here to access the PubMed abstract of this article.

Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2008 Nov-Dec;74(6):614-8.
An open, nonrandomized, comparative study of imiquimod 5% cream versus 10% potassium hydroxide solution in the treatment of molluscum contagiosum.
Metkar A, Pande S, Khopkar U.
Click here to access the PubMed abstract of this article.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *