A common skin condition that many Ethiopian children have on homecoming is molluscum. Molluscum are small, harmless wart-like growths on the skin that are caused by a virus. Most often these growths can be found on the trunk, arms, legs, and face. They can also be in the hair.

Molluscum can be as small as a millimeter or larger than diameter of a pencil eraser. Some have a whitish top similar to a blister, and others look pinkish and wart-like. (photos) Kids may have just one, or many at a time.

Molluscum are spread by skin contact or through sharing items such as gym mats or equipment. People with weakened immune systems are more likely to get molluscum, as are people with eczema. This is not a condition seen only in Africa. Molluscum is also very common in the U.S.

Many doctors recommend that parents just leave them alone and let the child's immune system kick in and get healthier and eventually eliminate the lesions on its own. My toddler from Ethiopia had several molluscum on her face and head. I had good luck using tea tree oil dabbed on once or twice daily which seemed to help them dry out and go away more quickly. Other families have reported that bathing the affected skin in salt water helps the lesions go away more quickly.

If one breaks open, it should be covered with an adhesive bandage until it dries up to avoid spreading. Popping them like you would do with a pimple and squeezing the “pus” out may help them dry out more quickly, but will increase the likelihood of scarring. Some doctors are willing to freeze them off using liquid nitrogen, but scarring is also common with this method.

Left alone, a lesion may take a few weeks to several months to dry up. However, you may also see new outbreaks of lesions as the old ones are healing, which means an outbreak may last as long a year or so. Once all the molluscum finally clears, the body generally has built enough immunity to not get them again. This was true with our daughter: she had between 3 and 5 molluscum on homecoming, which were all gone by the time she had been home 6 months.

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