How long does curettage and cautery take to work for molluscum contagiosum?

Molluscum contagiosum causes small, contagious, raised bumps. Curettage removes a treated bump and cautery applies heat to the surface. The area can look red or crusted before it becomes less noticeable. Treatment acts on the bumps reached that day; it does not guarantee that another bump will not appear while the infection is still active. Children and people with eczema may need particularly careful aftercare.

Follow the clinic's wound-care instructions and avoid scratching or peeling crusts. Keep personal towels, clothing, and razors separate, and cover treated areas when advised. Try not to shave across bumps or share items that touch them. Manage itchy eczema as directed, because broken skin can help spread bumps. Ask when swimming, contact sports, and fragranced products are appropriate again.

Seek clinical advice if pain, warmth, swelling, or redness is increasing rather than easing, or if drainage looks like pus. Contact the clinic for ongoing bleeding, fever, or an eye-area lesion that becomes swollen. Widespread bumps, severe eczema, or uncertainty about infection control also merit review.

Ask which bumps were treated, how to cover them, and how to reduce spread to household members. Check whether untreated bumps need observation or another treatment, and ask what signs would prompt a follow-up visit.