Most molluscum contagiosum clears on its own within several months to about a year, so watchful waiting is reasonable for many people. For genital bumps, clinicians usually recommend removal — cryotherapy, curettage, laser, or topical agents like cantharidin (Ycanth) and the newer berdazimer gel (Zelsuvmi) — to limit spread to partners and to yourself.
with the right treatment
testing, not symptoms, decides
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Curable? | yes — with the right treatment |
| If you may have it | get tested — testing, not symptoms, decides |
How molluscum contagiosum is treated
Molluscum contagiosum is a benign, usually mild skin infection caused by a poxvirus, the molluscum contagiosum virus. In adults, the genital and lower-abdomen lesions most clinicians see are spread through sexual skin-to-skin contact CDC, molluscum overview. Because it's a virus living in the top layer of skin — not a bacterium in the bloodstream — there's no pill or antibiotic that cures it. Treatment instead aims to destroy or remove the individual bumps, or simply to wait for your immune system to clear them.
In an otherwise healthy person, the bumps clear on their own in roughly 6 to 12 months without any treatment at all CDC clinical overview. That's why watchful waiting is a legitimate choice for lesions on covered, non-genital skin. The calculus changes for genital lesions, where removal is recommended — both because the area is hard to keep covered and because untreated bumps keep shedding virus to partners.
The established in-clinic removal methods work by physically or chemically destroying each lesion:
- Cryotherapy freezes each bump with liquid nitrogen so the infected skin blisters and falls off; it usually takes more than one visit.
- Curettage is the physical scooping or scraping of each lesion with a small curette after the skin is numbed — fast and effective for a limited number of bumps.
- Laser targets and destroys individual lesions and is often used when bumps are numerous or stubborn.
- Salicylic acid and other topical irritants gradually break down the bump over repeated applications.
Two FDA-approved prescription topicals now sit alongside those older methods. Cantharidin (Ycanth) is a blistering agent — derived from beetles — that a clinician applies precisely to each bump in the office; it raises a small blister that lifts the lesion off. Berdazimer gel (Zelsuvmi) is a newer nitric-oxide–releasing gel that patients apply at home to the affected skin. Both spare you the discomfort of freezing or scraping, though they still take a course of treatment to work. Which approach fits depends on how many bumps you have, where they are, and your tolerance for an in-office procedure versus an at-home routine.
What treatment is actually like
Diagnosis is usually quick — most clinicians recognize the molluscum contagiosum bumps on sight by their small, dome-shaped look with a tiny central dimple. A simple exam is often enough; results don't hang on a lab the way some other infections do, where you'd be waiting on a urine cup or self-collected swab for a few days. Many people get this evaluated free or at low cost at health departments, Planned Parenthood, and Title X clinics.
The procedures themselves are short but not always comfortable. Cryotherapy stings and can leave a brief burning or a blister; curettage is quick once the area is numbed but may bleed a little. Cantharidin doesn't hurt going on — the blister forms hours later, so the instructions on when to wash it off matter. Berdazimer is the lowest-drama option in that it's a gel you apply at home, but it asks for consistency over a defined course.
The honest part: this is a common, treatable diagnosis that clinics handle daily, and it says nothing about you as a person. Whichever route you pick, finish the full course or complete the recommended visits even after the visible bumps fade — clearing what you can see isn't the same as clearing the virus, and new bumps can surface as the infection runs its course.
Do partners need treatment?
There's no preventive pill or vaccine to give a partner, and partners aren't routinely "treated" the way they are for a bacterial STI. The practical move is for a sexual partner to check their own skin and get any suspicious bumps looked at and removed, so you're not passing the virus back and forth. Ask your clinician directly whether your partner should be examined. Because skin-to-skin contact spreads it, learning how to stop molluscum from spreading on your body also lowers the odds of giving it to someone else.
Follow-up and what to watch for
There's no "test-of-cure" for molluscum the way some infections require a follow-up lab — you and your clinician judge success by whether the bumps are gone and staying gone. Expect to need more than one visit with cryotherapy or cantharidin, since new lesions can keep appearing for a while before the infection finally clears. If you were diagnosed during a sexual-health visit, it's worth confirming you've been screened for the other common STIs too; if you're timing that around a recent encounter, here's when to test after exposure, and you can get tested for the rest while you're at it.
What happens if you leave it untreated
For most healthy adults, untreated molluscum on covered skin simply resolves on its own over months — it's not dangerous and rarely scars unless the bumps are picked or scratched. The real downsides of leaving it are practical: each bump stays contagious for as long as it's there, so untreated genital lesions can spread to partners and to other parts of your own body through scratching, shaving, or touching. People with weakened immune systems can develop larger, more numerous, or more persistent lesions that don't clear on the usual timeline and may need more aggressive treatment.
Preventing it going forward
Day-to-day habits do most of the work. Wash your hands often, don't share towels or clothing, and cover the bumps with clothing or a bandage so they don't rub against other skin or other people. Don't scratch the lesions, and avoid shaving over them — both spread the virus to fresh skin and can trigger new bumps in a line where the razor traveled.
For the sexually transmitted route, condoms used every time lower the risk, though they don't cover every patch of skin that might carry a bump, so they reduce rather than eliminate exposure. Routine STI testing catches the other infections that show no symptoms; molluscum is the visible one you'll usually notice yourself. If you want to line up an affordable, convenient option, you can compare testing providers before you book.
When to see a clinician
- You have bumps in the genital or anal area — these warrant evaluation and usually removal.
- You're not sure what the bumps are; a clinician can tell molluscum from warts, herpes, or other lesions.
- The bumps are spreading quickly, becoming numerous, or look inflamed, red, or pus-filled.
- You have a weakened immune system, which can make molluscum harder to clear.
- The lesions bother you cosmetically or you simply want them gone faster than the natural timeline.