Apple Cider Vinegar for Molluscum Contagiosum

It depends on whether you want to clear the problem up or you want to spread it. You have only been using ACV for 24 hours. There may still be some virus in the skin. If you open the pustules up by pulling the skin off with wax they will certainly spread. Be patient... it may take 7 days for the skin to be clear or more...

Okay I will just be patient and not wax them either. How often did you put the Apple Cider Vinegar on your molluscum after the 24 hr treatment? Do I need to do another 24 hr treatment or just apply it on them a couple times a day until they are gone?

Thanks so much for your help!

I have noticed everyone saying there molluscum has scabbed over after they apply apple cider vinegar. Mine have not yet. I did do another treatment since my first one except I only did it over night and not 24 hrs like I had done before. All mine are red or have not changed :( its now 4 days since I first started doing the apple cider vinegar. Do they have to scab over for this to work? Only a few have disappeared. My bumps are also pretty new- about a couple weeks old and are very small.

I noticed mine back in August, a lot of them, and left them until September to do anything about them. I have been killing them off slowly for the past 5 weeks or so with the ACV, applying it 2 times a day, but it's still taking a while and more are showing up. But I'd imagine that after the 6 week mark as somebody said in another post they will stop appearing. It's rough, and being at college, the weekends are pretty lame. :(

Thanks to all your posts, they've been giving me some good ideas on how to gain advantages in this chemical warfare below.

Well I'm not sure if its the Apple Cider Vinegar but my molluscum is just multiplying. I have stopped shaving my legs and I'm a girl so it's embarassing and they are still multiplying! Since freezing is the only thing that works for me I made a appointment for today to get them frozen. After that I will continue to apply Apple Cider Vinegar to the bumps I'm getting frozen today since it did get rid of some of my bumps. Maybe it will prevent spreading it? Let's hope so! I dislike the scarring of getting them frozen though. But over time the scar fades and is not very noticable so I am glad it's fall. And by summer the scars will not be very noticeable.

Hope this can help some of you. My daughter has had molluscum contagiosum for over a year now. It started on the back of her left leg and then spread to her bottom and now her right leg. I searched the internet so many times but found no known cure. Doctors told me it would clear within a year but it just seemed to be getting worse.

I decided to try APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.... So far so good. I have only been putting it on my daughter's legs about once a week just before she goes to bed but they are definitely clearing up. I have been putting clean pyjama bottoms on her every night after dabbing the cider vinegar on with cotton wool.

Hope this works for others. Best of luck x

We have been battling molluscum for almost a year now. My 5 year old has had it since last December and it spread all over his body. We had most of them go away with the dermotologist using beetlejuice but that does not prevent new ones from popping up. He started with 50 and now were down to 7. This is after 3 trips to the doctor with them applying beetlejuice each time. Well, my second son is now getting them and I had to get an answer.

We started ACV 3 days ago. My question is, the new molluscum that are TINY, do we treat the same way as the more mature ones? I put ACV in a spray bottle and have been spraying the new TINY ones down twice a day, hoping to prevent them from growing at all.

Also, when they have a little black spot in the middle, does that mean I don't have to apply the ACV to those anymore?

Thanks for any responses. I'm going crazy trying to clear this up because I have a baby due soon and I don't want her to come in contact with this horrible stuff.

I'd like to pass on my 'success' so far with the ACV treatments I have used on my 5 year old from this site. Like all of you, extreme frustration with a virus that has not 'disappeared on it's own' since I noticed the 1st few bumps almost 1 year ago. Not willing to try any of the brutal doctors suggestions, my daughter has tolerated this modified treatment extremely well. I began applying ACV nightly before bedtime on Oct. 3rd, 'dabbing' onto the 40 MC that covered one armpit/arm/side area. I used straight ACV dabbed on with a Qtip, then covered with bandaids and wrapped the larger cluster areas with non-stick guaze for the night. Only applying at night, the MC has looked 'red and angry'.. Slowly drying out, and now I can only see 2 MC that have any pus inside.!! Yes!

Once they began really drying and scabbing out, I have begun to apply Vitamin E ointmant to those MC as I fear some scarring. It also seems to speed up healing. ?? I have dabbed on some Tea Tree oil for good measure as well. Seems milder, but couldn't hurt. I have not noticed 1 new MC since we began treatment. :-)) Fingers crossed! I will definately be passing this info onto our GP. Btw.... Naturally, I have not dabbed ACV onto 'open' MC as they erupted... that would be cruel to a 5 y/old. I just wanted to pass this along to other parents ... That it IS WORKING for us!! Even if it's taking longer.... It is working!! Thanks for everyone's input... We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Note... I launder her jammie top every day.. And have stopped the nightly hot baths as it also feeds the spread. Who'd of thunk it?? Just wish I'd known this stuff a year ago! :-))

My 5 year old son also had molluscum. Every month for about 6months we were going to the dermatologist for 'beetle juice' treatments which were overall painful once the treated area would blister.

One day at my job I met a woman who was Native American and practiced natural remedies. We discussed the process my son had been going through. She did some research for me and made a tincture to apply to the affected area every night. In addition to the tincture she had made she also recommended that he take a vitamin with Echinacea.

Long story short-he put the paste on once and decided he didn't like it so we discontinued that but he has been taking L'il Critters Immune C Plus Zinc and Echinacea Gummy Bears vitamins daily and his molluscum has disappeared completely. These gummy vitamins taste good, easy for children to take, inexpensive and can be found at general retailers like: CVS, Walgreens & Target.

Unfortunately this past week our pediatrician confirmed that my 1yr old son has molluscum. We do not want him to be treated by the dermatologist with 'beetle juice' so I have been researching liquid toddlers vitamins with Echinacea before we try other aggressive treatments. Maybe I will try ACV for him. Wish us luck!

Just to update on my daughter's plight... After 2 weeks of a mild ACV treatment, she is now more than 60% healed! Mostly now, just red areas remain... You can tell they are well on the path to healing. I wanted to add that I also boosted her immune system with added multi vitamins and vitamin c tabs. We have not noted 1 new MC since we began this treatment on Oct. 3rd. I now feel confident to say ''Success''!! Can't wait to show the doctor. Hope you all have the same measure of success!

Hello, First off..... Hello Debs from Kelowna BC. I used to live there!

MY son has been dealing with this since April. We have tried zyclara for two months now. The bumps (on torso, upper arms, and few on neck) are seeming to get red and angry. My hubby and I are now starting with this ACV treatments like gang busters now. It sure is bring the core to the surface more. Sometimes we pop them but mostly we keep putting the cotton and bandaid to the area until it gets black and scabs over. They are everywhere on his torso so it's hard to do one at a time. We are putting big gauze pieces soaked in the ACV and have him sit while watching a show. Then we take it off. We will do this twice a day. We have terrasil cream and aquaphor healing oinment to put on in between. Throughout the day I will swab down his body with ACV to get the little ones. I hope this works. It looks just terrible! We would love for this to go away before spring! Crossing our fingers. I'm glad I found this website.

A few months back my then 15 month old daughter developed MC. I found this site and started using the ACV. I used q-tips soaked in ACV and held them on each bump for several seconds. I felt this would be a more humane treatement with a toddler. I did this 2-3 times a day. Some of the bumps were very tiny, some looked like typical pimples, and some looked like the typical MC bumps. The doctor did diagnose her with MC. The bigger ones turned black and/or scabbed and went away, and others just went away. I did this for about 3 weeks. New ones just kept popping up. I treated them until finally I felt like I was free of them.

Now, here I am about 2 months later, and she seems to have developed them again. They really don't look like the typical MC, more like a pimple or bug bite, but there are about 13 of them on her face, hands, legs, and feet. This would make sense because she is covered in the other areas. My question: Is it possible to get reinfected after a couple of months of clear skin? Can they be molluscum even if they are not the "typical" waxy, flesh-colored bumps? How can I prevent this from happening again? She doesn't bathe with siblings and I use a new towel every time she bathes. She is 17 months old, so I can't exactly tell her not to touch them plus there are 4 on her hands and she sucks her thumb!!! I am sooooo frustrated because I thought I had vanquished these irritating little bumps. The ACV definitely worked; they disappeared in a matter of 3 weeks, but I don't know if I can keep this up every few months. Any suggestions?

I've had this stuff for over 2 months now and I never knew what it was. I thought herpes at first and after doing much research online I found out it was Molluscum. At first I couldn't find any home treatments so I just went to the store and got some liquid wart remover. This attempt was very painful and not very effective. I have been using ACV now for a few days and it seems to be clearing them up. I do have a question tho.. Some of the bumps are turning black and clearing up others have a white like scab on them at this point do I keep applying the ACV or let it try and heal up? (SIDENOTE: DO NOT POP Molluscum LIKE A PIMPLE - ALL IT DOES IS SPREAD THE VIRUS. ) Also it's a cheap way to secure yourself, go purchase some alcohol and after each time ur hands come in contact with the area of treatment make sure you use the alcohol on ur hands. This will ensure you don't spread Molluscum to other parts of your body! Good God I hope this is over soon!

I've been told by a few people who had them scab over or turn white is to leave it alone. Mine have turned white or scabbed over but I lay some makeup pads soaked with ACV on the bumps (I have about 8 or so in the bikini line area) and leave it on as long as I can about 30 minutes to 45 minutes then remove the pads and just let it air out. I've done this a few nights now. I can't seem to keep the bandaid on all night in the bikini line area. It seems to be working. They appear to have shrunk and they're not painful (filled with pus). They're not turning black though, so not sure but I believe the ACV is working. I'll just keeping applying ACV soaked pads at night until they are gone. Good luck to you. I do believe the ACV works, so just keep at it.

Thanks for the reply. I have left it alone now going to see what happens. One of the bumps that's off on its own I circled with a sharpie and I'm giving the stabbing with a sterile needle a try tonight. I will reply with my progress on this technique.

I feel your pain. Your story really caught my eye. I have a 4 yrs old son that had 1 on his stomach for about a yr. The Dr. kept telling me it would go away on its own not to worry. Well a year later 5, 10, 20 until one night he went to bed and woke up with them covering 85% of is body! It is so bad I am thinking of bathing him every night in ACV! I am not kidding. This is the most horrible virus:(

Hi Moms! Your post caught my attention as I have 2 little ones battling this stubborn virus :( Our son is 5 and had three on his stomach for about 6 months that never evolved until we moved to a damper climate and then all h-e-l-l broke loose. He has been to a dermatologist twice now for beetle juice treatments and it was looking promising, only 10 or so bumps, healing and no new ones until this last treatment. He woke up earlier in the week with large crops all over his knees, all over his legs, arms even top of his hands and ears... Impossible for me to treat individually, so what do I do? I want to try the ACV but he is so ridden with them can I just rub it on his body with a make up pad? I feel so bad for him and am worried kids will start to notice and tease him or not want to play with him. Our little girl is 3.5 and she has a few on her lower trunk/groin area but they seem to have responded well to the beetle juice as I haven't noticed any new ones anywhere else on her body. I am desperate for advice and reassurance this too shal pass, so hard to see them go through this.

One really reliable thing to try is Manuka Honey 16+. I get it from Whole Foods. The medical grade is fantastic!

I too have about 5 or so MC on one side of my bikini line; it's a very uncomfortable, awkward spot to have them. I soaked those round makeup pads with ACV and put a large bandaid over it and kept it on overnight and took it off about 12 hours later. The MC looked white like it scabbed over so I just wiped the area again with ACV and let it air dry. Now I wait to see. I believe once it scabs, we're almost home free. Though one of MC turned black and now it's completely healed, so not sure about the white scabbing. Will probably keep applying the ACV at night though. It can't hurt since it's supposed to kill the virus. Post again if you see change and so will I. I'd like to know how you made out. Good luck!

After they turned white, like mine are, did you remove the Apple Cider Vinegar bandage? I am using duct tape and Apple Cider Vinegar and it hurts a lot. I would hope that once they turn white they are no longer contagious? Let me know how it went.

This is what I would like to know. Mine have scabbed over along the bikini line about 6 of them and I've been rubbing ACV on it every time I go to the bathroom when I'm home. Yes, they are sore and I tried leaving it on at night but it burned too much, so I took it off; but do we have to continue dabbing it with ACV when it scabs over or just leave it alone and let it dry up? I hope someone answers this. I had a few that turned black and it's completely healed but these turned white and scabbed over, so I don't know if I should keep dabbing it with ACV or just leave it alone to dry out?

Yeah, when they turn white that means the virus has been burned off and they scab up. When they scab, you don't need to apply the ACV just leave it alone to dry out. They're supposed to turn red or black and fall off but mine haven't yet. They're still white and it burns if I put ACV on them so I'm leaving it alone for now and let the surrounding skin heal a bit, it's a bit irritated from the ACV and the bandaid. Hope this info helps and hope this clears up for good.

So you just dabbed it on and it went away, You didn't to 24 hours with bandaid or taped cotton ball?

Help please someone. I have about 8 bumps right in my bikini line. I've been trying to apply ACV with bandaids at night but after a few hours, it soaks through and the bandaid is slipping off. I did initially leave it on all night and when I took bandaid off in morning, they looked white. I left it alone during the day and at night, the white was gone but they looked like raised mounds, like there is pus inside, almost skin color. I try to apply the ACV on at night but it's in such a precarious part of the body, it's hard to apply the bandaid and keep it on.

I know ACV is the answer. I had one on my lower stomach and that turned black and it's completely gone. However, this cluster on my bikini line is not turning black. When they turn white, should I stop the ACV and let it heal? When do they turn black since that's when I know the virus is done for. The white also looks like scabs but they don't turn black and they're still there. Also, after the initial overnight treatment, do I have to continue leaving pads on each night if they're white?

Help, any suggestions? I've been doing this on and off for 3 weeks and they have not disappeared.

Thanks.

I know how you feel! It is depressing and annoying. I have some on my genital area as well. I found that if you poke it with a sterilized needle they tend to go away faster. I am absolutly paranoid about them... My Dr. really didn't seem concerened about them. I hope this helps, I know how you feel.

To Concerned Guest from GA

Well, it's been 2 days since my last post. the bumps have gone down, some have flattened with some scabbing, one is a bright white. They're no longer puffy and sore and no longer tend to burn when I apply the ACV on them. I've given up trying to tape the bandaid on my bikini line area. It doesn't stay on well and it really irritates the unaffected skin around the bumps. Now, the past 2 nights, I've just placed ACV soaked makeup pads on the area and left them on for up to 1 hour then remove and let air dry. I'll keep doing this each night until they are gone. It certainly can't hurt since the ACV kills the virus. If anyone out there has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them. One bump turned black and is completely gone; these bumps along the bikini line either turn white or scab and flatten out, they don't turn black, but I suppose the ACV is working. What a nightmare.

I just got rid of this disease, but I too was confused with the white scabbing. I didn't know if it meant the bump was no longer contagious and healing so I kept applying ACV. The spots just looked the same for about 5 days.. I finally decided to quit applying the ACV to see if they were really dead and two days later they were all gone. My bumps never turned black, they just turned white and then disappeared!

Thanks for the feedback. Mine are staying white and/or shrinking. No more pain when I put ACV on at night. Leave soaked pads on for about 45 minutes then take them off to air out. May just leave them alone the next few nights and see if they just dry out and finally disappear. Glad yours have cleared up. Hope to be rid of this soon.

Just wanted to say that my MC is completely cleared. After the initial application of the makeup pad soaked in the ACV, covered with a bandaid (difficult in the bikini line area) and leaving it on for about 8 - 10 hours, I soaked the makeup pads with the ACV and left them on the bumps, which turned white/scabbed over, for 30 to 45 minutes at night. I took them off and let them air out. I soaked them for about a week for 30-45 minutes each night and finally decided to leave them alone and just let them dry up and they Finally Are All Gone. I'm cured! After months of having these bumps they are gone. Now, if they recur, I'll know what to do.

I wish everyone here the best and thanks for this site. You saved me from months and months of embarrasment and discomfort and who knows hundreds of dollars of medication since I have no health insurance at the moment, so ACV will always be a staple in my kitchen/bathroom! Good luck and yes, it works and it takes time and patience but eventually, it does work.

Did you get any new, small ones in the process? Did they respond to ACV? ACV works only on the bigger ones for me.

We are at our wits end!!! Our 6 year old has had these for almost two years. The doctor said they would go away in 12-18 month if we did nothing. Well We did nothing and she still has them. Now she has clusters instead of individuals.

We have been using tea tree oil a friend suggested and had success with. We have not had he same success. She had now broken out from the band aid adhesive ( I think). Just sent my husband to get the self sticking wrap another person suggests instead of the band aids. Wish us luck. So frustrating.

Dear Dawn,

A friend of mine used burdock root and olive leaf to cure a chronic case of MC in her child. She used tinctures of each and used them internally. When I use tinctures for smaller children, I give them 10 drops of each in a little water, a couple of times a day. A vitamin C supplement can support the immune system and help the body to repair the skin more quickly. Yes, bandaids can be very hard on the skin. You might try 1 cup of apple cider vinegar in the bath and then loose cotton clothes to wear and not use bandaids. I wonder if some daily sunshine on the skin would be a help, also.

Mama to Many

Just wanted to share my experience and say that Molluscum contagiosum treatment with Apple Cider Vinegar worked pretty well for me too. It seemed to work better when combined with other treatment options like evisceration and iodine, but worked well enough on its own.

My brother had them at one point and we found the ACV to work well because it wasn't painful or cause blisters. It did stink though!

Hi, I also have MC in the vaginal area mainly 8 bumps on the inner thighs. You say you soaked makeup pads with ACV and placed them on the area in the morning and then again at night. How long did you leave them on in the morning and at night and did you tape them in place? Someone just used a Q-tip dipped in ACV and just dabbed the bumps twice a day; if so, do you still have to cover them with a bandaid? Hope to hear from you soon. I am anxious to try this as soon as possible.

Thanks

Does the ACV hurt the unaffected skin? My daughter has had this on her inner thighs for 6 months - nothing has worked. She probably has 200 lesions :( I think I might start with a few and see how they react.

yes I just would cover them with the makeup pads and leave them for a couple of hours in the morning if I didnt go out. If I went out I would use a bandaid but would dab the q tip soaked with Apple Cider Vinegar and apply on the MC... When I did it at night I would leave it all night n take a shower in the morning.. just stay calm n this will all work out keep putting the Apple Cider Vinegar it truly works.

Thanks for your feedback. I placed the soaked makeup pads with sticky bandage on my inner thighs over night. I woke up and two of the larger ones turned black and the other few I had turned white. When I went to rub some more ACV on, the black ones broke and bled but read here that once they're black, the virus is dead and can't recontaminate you. I'll put pads back on tonight since it smells strong during the day and see what happens in the morning; yes, you're right. It does work and it does take a little time but this is so much better than the expensive cream my doctor recommended. I must say ripping the sticky bandage off hurt and irritated my thighs more than ACV. Either way, I believe I'll be cleared of this in a week or so!

Hey does this truly work!?

when I first noticed this "bump" it looked like a white head. I did notice that it had a little dimple in the middle and not really a head/point. one bump was larger than the others, but in all there were about 4.

i went to 2 doctors and they told me the same thing--Molluscum Contagiousum. After a bit of research I decided to use ACV. here is what I did:

--got a needle and sterilized it with soap and water, 91% alcohol and then running through a flame.

--poked each bump with the needle till I could see a teeny bit of blood (confirmation that I had gone through the skin of the bump)

--soak q-tip/cotton ball with _____ ACV UNDILUTED and apply/rub on each bump for about 30 secs. Do this several times a day. (upon waking up, before bed, each time using the restroom when at home)

bumps scabbed up and were gone in less than 10 days. had no irriation, burning, etc, but that is because I didn't leave the cotton on my skin for a prolonged period of time (i see that others are taping the ACV soaked cotton onto their skin and getting irritation/burning).

i didn't wear gloves or anything, but I did make sure that I washed my hands thoroughly and even poured some alcohol on them and let it dry.

i also got another cotton ball soaked in ACV and swiped that over all the surrounding areas of skin. I did this to possibly "prevent" the spread of it and to also "treat" what others may have not yet popped up yet.

i think poking/piercing the bump allows the ACV to work with just a quick application as opposed to not piercing and leaving the cotton on for several hours.

if you are paranoid you can swipe down the area after the bumps/scabs have gone away. do this for about a week after ALL bumps have cleared (when you wake up and before bed).

So u say you just wiped the apple cider vinegar on for 30 secs and didnt soak them all night, but did you leave the apple cider on or did you wash it off right after you wiped it down for 30 secs?

I did NOT rinse it off. I rubbed it on and let it air dry. You will want to let it air dry before putting undergarments/clothing on.

Ok a couple things... The mc isnt on my body its on my forehead, I went to a derm and he gave me medication for it, it worked but then it didnt. It would disappear then show right back up again, not to mention I think I had this over a year now, it sucks. So like everyone else I try to come up with a better solution bcuz the medication wasnt working plus lost my insurance, so I cant afford to go to my derm to get treated. So I have tried the acv, but not to sure if im doing it right? I bought the organic Apple Cider Vinegar and I think I been doing it for about two weeks now. The first time I did it I popped couple then wiped it down with acv, but then the blood turn brown and I have a couple scars now, so I stop popping them and have been rubbing the Apple Cider Vinegar on the mc about three times a day. Once when I wake up in the morning, once when I come home from work, and then once at night. I also have some benezol wash stuff that I been washing it off once a day only. So to clear it up the mc looks alot smaller and getting a little clear but hasnt left yet, kinda like when I was using my own medication for it so just wondering if im doing something wrong or if there is something else I can do. I know Apple Cider Vinegar kills the 1st layer of your skin so I dont want to keep using to much acv. So if there is any suggestions you have, it would be much appreciated. Just really want to get rid of this stuff! Thank you.

Hi Briana. I have no personal experience with molluscum contagiosum but it appears to be caused by a virus and therefore using any antiviral treatments should help. The easiest example I can think of is virgin organic coconut oil which is antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial and is very good for both skin and hair. You should probably take some internally as well as applying externally.

Hi, I have had MC for about 5 months now and I just can't get rid of them! I was just wondering, how long did you leave the pads with Apple Cider Vinegar on?

I left them on over night and changed the pads in the morning. I did this for about five days just to be safe but they were already starting to scab after 24 hours.

I have had molluscum ALL over my body for the last couple weeks. It is awful. I am a 20 yr old male and as you can imagine it is doing some serious damage on my social life. I have been using Retin-A since I was first diagnosed about 8 days ago. It did not seem to be doing too much although I understand it works slow. I read yesterday that apple cider vinegar will help fight the mollscum. I bought some cotton make up pads and soaked them in apple cider vinegar and taped them right onto the bumps with some medical tape, although that tape did not stick too too well (I heard duct tape would be stickier). Although there was too much mollscum to cover all of them, I put it on the cluster on my chin and the ones on my lower stomach/pubic area. I put them on in the morning and by the time I took them off at night, almost all of the bumps on my chin had scabbed over, and several of the ones on my abdomen (the biggest ones) had also scabbed and flattened. AMAZING!

I will keep trying this, but I am also going to have them removed by my Dermatologist in a few days. Hopefully he can get most of them, but it seems like I have a hundred. I will update on my progress, but I would DEFINITELY reccomend putting the apple cider vinegar on them. (I used regular stop and shop brand acv.)

How long did it take for you to be completely done, I have been doing this for about 5 days on my penis, one has turned all black on and around it and has form what I can tell gone away, and two others I am having more of an issue with. I have been using Qtip tops because I can get a better seal around the MC. When you noticed more coming up were they REALLY TINY?! ?! ?! Or am I just being paranoid??