Question:

Hi, I am a 29 y.o. HIV positive male. I developed mulluscum on the right corner of my mouth and lately, I have been noticing that "it" might be spreading around my mouth. I have had two cryo treatments. The fist one worked and made it go away for about 2 or 3 months, the second treatment was unsuccessful.

Being president of the vanity club, this has become a psychological nightmare. I have developed a routine, where I remove it with some sterile scissors. However, 4 or 5 days after it grows back. I also tried the OTC wart remover, the OTC cryo, but they did not work.

I want this removed now.

I read on this website that Laser Surgery has been successful in removing these....
A. How expesive is it?
B. Can this procedure be done by my doctor who specializes in internal medicine, or would I need to go to specialist?

Please help I am about to be kicked out of the vanity club if I dont take care of this.

Answer provided by:

Lisa Capaldini, M.D.
Internal Medicine

Your best option is to consult with a skilled dermatologist -- there are MANY ways to eradicate molloscum, and it's not a matter of right or wrong but of pro's and con's. In general, weekly treatments with "cryo" (liquid nitrogen) work well on the face -- the trick is not to spread the molloscom by shaving until the molloscom are gone. While this strategy doesn't cure molloscom (nothing does), it usually clears up the current crop. Another important factor is keeping your T cells over 200 -- this helps your immune system control the molloscom virus. Some dermatologists remove the molloscom by scooping it out of the skin -- this may mean fewer treatments but causes more short-term "vanity" problems.

This is a problem that you can get under control -- get your clinician to refer you to a good dermatologist.

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