Genital Molluscum Contagiosum: A Guide for Indian Women

• Molluscum contagiosum causes small, smooth, pearly dome-shaped bumps, 2–5 mm wide, with a tiny dimple in the centre (umbilication) — that dimple is the key clue.
• On the genitals and pubic area in adults it is almost always passed on by sexual skin-to-skin contact, but it is one of the mildest STIs — no cancer risk, no organ damage, no effect on fertility.
• It is self-limiting: in people with a normal immune system it clears on its own in 6–12 months, usually without scarring.
• Never scratch, squeeze, or shave over the bumps — that is the fastest way to spread the virus across your own skin (autoinoculation).
• Treatment in India (curettage, cryotherapy, or topical creams) costs roughly ₹500–2,000 a session; NACO STI clinics offer free, confidential care.
• See a doctor to confirm the diagnosis, especially if the bumps are spreading fast, you are pregnant, or you may be immunocompromised.

Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection caused by the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a DNA virus in the poxvirus family. The virus only infects the top layer of skin (the epidermis), which is why the bumps are superficial and almost always heal without a scar.

The infection produces small dome-shaped bumps that are pearly white, skin-coloured, or slightly pink — typically 2 to 5 millimetres across, with a characteristic tiny pit or dimple in the centre, called umbilication. Inside that central dimple is a small core of waxy material that carries the virus.

Around 1 in 20 adults will have molluscum at some point. It is even more common in children, where it usually appears on the face, arms, or trunk through ordinary play and skin contact. In adults, bumps on the lower abdomen, pubic area, inner thighs, genitals, or perianal area almost always come from sexual contact, which is why genital molluscum is grouped with sexually transmitted infections. The reassuring part: molluscum is one of the mildest STIs — it does not cause cancer, does not damage internal organs, does not affect fertility, and clears completely whether or not you treat it.

It is not the same as HPV (the virus behind genital warts and cervical cancer risk), not the same as herpes (which causes painful blister-like sores), and not the same as folliculitis (inflamed hair follicles). The distinction matters, because what each one means for you — and how it is managed — is very different.

Molluscum spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has the bumps, and it is most contagious where contact is close and prolonged. In adults, lesions on the genitals, lower abdomen, pubic area, inner thighs, buttocks, or perianal area are almost always the result of sexual contact — often with a partner who did not realise they had it, because molluscum is usually painless and easy to miss.

Beyond sex, molluscum can spread through any close skin contact (this is how children pick it up at school) and through shared towels, razors, clothing, or sports equipment that has touched the bumps. It does not spread through handshakes, through the air, or through toilet seats in any meaningful way — it needs direct, close skin contact or contact with a freshly contaminated item.

The most important and most underestimated way it spreads is autoinoculation — moving the virus from one part of your own body to another by scratching, squeezing, or rubbing the bumps and then touching elsewhere. This is how a small patch can become widespread within weeks, and it is why the single most important piece of self-care is: do not scratch or squeeze. Shaving over the area is a particularly efficient way to spread the virus along the path of the razor, so it is best avoided until the bumps clear.

Once you know what to look for, molluscum has a recognisable look. The classic features are:

New bumps often keep appearing over weeks or months while older ones are clearing, which is why the whole episode can last several months even though each individual bump only lasts a few weeks. A single bump that briefly turns red, inflamed, and crusty is usually a good sign — it often means your immune system has started to clear it, not that something is wrong.

On the genitals, pubic area, inner thighs, or buttocks the bumps can blend into your skin tone and be easy to miss early on, especially if they don't itch. Taking a photo every couple of weeks helps you track which bumps are clearing and whether new ones are appearing — useful information to show your doctor. Because several conditions can look alike here, it is also worth reading about the other causes of bumps on the labia and vulva.

Several conditions cause small bumps near the genitals, and mixing them up is common. Here is how to tell molluscum apart from the look-alikes — though only a doctor can confirm it.

HPV genital warts (condyloma): Caused by a completely different virus. Warts look rough and cauliflower-like or flat, not smooth pearly domes, and they have no central dimple. HPV also has high-risk subtypes (such as 16 and 18) linked to cervical cancer, which molluscum does not — and warts need different treatment. See our full guide to genital warts in Indian women.

Genital herpes (HSV): Produces small, painful blisters that cluster, often burn or tingle before they appear, break open into shallow ulcers, and heal in 7–10 days before recurring in the same spot. Herpes is painful where molluscum is painless, and forms fluid-filled blisters where molluscum forms solid pearly domes. Herpes needs antiviral treatment — learn more in our guide to genital herpes.

Folliculitis: Inflamed hair follicles — small red bumps centred on a follicle, often with a tiny pustule on top, usually itchy or tender, and common after shaving or waxing. Folliculitis is red and inflamed rather than pearly, and has no central dimple. See pubic and vaginal folliculitis.

Pubic lice, sebaceous cysts, skin tags, and Fordyce spots (normal sebaceous glands) can also be mistaken for molluscum, but each has its own look. A dermatologist or gynaecologist can usually diagnose molluscum on sight, sometimes with a dermoscope, and if a bump is itchy or you are unsure what is going on, our guide to vulval itching and its causes can help you narrow it down.

Molluscum is self-limiting, which means that in people with a normal immune system the body clears it on its own without any treatment. The usual timeline is 6 to 12 months from first appearance to complete clearance, though it can be shorter, or longer (18–24 months) in some people. Each individual bump lasts about 2–3 months, but because new ones keep appearing through autoinoculation, the whole episode runs longer than any single bump.

In most people the skin returns to normal once it clears, sometimes with a small temporary change in pigment that fades over months — similar to how post-inflammatory marks fade on Indian skin. Scarring is rare unless the bumps are picked, squeezed, or treated aggressively.

It is a different story for people who are immunocompromised — for example, those who are HIV positive with a low CD4 count, on chemotherapy, on long-term immunosuppressants after a transplant, or with certain rare immune conditions. In this group molluscum can be far more extensive (hundreds of bumps), can last for years, can grow larger and more disfiguring, and may need more aggressive treatment alongside addressing the underlying immune problem. If you are not sure of your HIV status, free confidential testing is widely available; our guide on HIV prevention for women in India explains your options.

The natural course is important because it shapes the treatment decision. For many people with a few painless bumps, simply waiting is reasonable — the infection will clear on its own, and treatment carries some discomfort and a small scarring risk without changing the eventual outcome. For others, active treatment makes more sense and is straightforward.

For most adults, treating molluscum is a personal choice rather than a medical necessity, and both watchful waiting and active treatment are reasonable. A good doctor will discuss the options with you rather than treat reflexively.

Watchful waiting — letting your immune system clear it over 6–12 months — makes sense when there are only a few bumps, they are not in a visible or symptomatic spot, they are not spreading fast, you have a single stable partner who is informed and being checked, and your immune system is normal.

Active treatment is more often chosen when the bumps are causing symptoms (itching, tenderness, or discomfort), are spreading quickly across the genital and pubic area, are causing real distress that affects daily life or intimacy, or sit somewhere they are likely to be traumatised or spread further (the shaving area, for example). It is also chosen when you have a new partner you want to protect, when you are immunocompromised and the bumps are not clearing, or when you are pregnant and want them cleared before delivery.

Treatment is more strongly recommended when the diagnosis is uncertain and a bump needs removing to confirm it, or when the bumps are in a sensitive location — around the urethra, anus, or vagina — where they need a doctor's hands rather than home management.

Several effective treatments are available in India. The right one depends on how many bumps you have, where they are, how much you can tolerate, and your dermatologist's or gynaecologist's preference. The main options are:

Most in-clinic procedures cost roughly ₹500–2,000 per session at a private dermatology or gynaecology clinic, with curettage often clearing things in a single visit and cryotherapy needing one to three sessions a few weeks apart. The topical creams are used at home but should be started under a doctor's guidance — podophyllotoxin in particular is not safe in pregnancy.

If cost or privacy is a concern, NACO STI clinics across India provide free or low-cost, fully confidential consultation and basic treatment for STI-related skin conditions, including molluscum. ASHA workers can give you a confidential referral to a government STI clinic, and free confidential HIV testing is available through NACO if there is any concern about your immune status.

Preventing autoinoculation — spreading the virus from one part of your body to another — is the single most useful thing you can do at home. A few practical measures make a real difference:

If the bumps itch, resist scratching — a gentle moisturiser, calamine lotion, or a short course of a mild anti-itch cream under your doctor's guidance can take the edge off without breaking the skin. The waxy core of each bump contains live virus, so breaking one open releases that virus onto your fingers and then onto whatever you touch next.

Avoid shaving over or near the bumps. Shaving drags the razor across them and spreads the virus along the shave path — one of the fastest ways to develop dozens of new bumps. If you usually shave or wax the pubic area, pause until the infection clears.

Genital molluscum in an adult is sexually transmitted in almost all cases, so an honest conversation with your partner is part of managing it well — both so they can be checked and treated if they have bumps, and so they can take precautions. The conversation is easier with the right framing: molluscum is one of the mildest STIs, is not the same as HPV, herpes, or HIV, does not cause cancer or long-term damage, and is treatable. It is also not a sign of infidelity in either direction — bumps can be present and unnoticed for weeks, and partners can carry and pass them on without realising. If it helps, our guide on sharing health information with a partner has gentle scripts for these talks.

The simplest precaution during an active infection is to avoid genital and pubic skin-to-skin sexual contact until all visible bumps have cleared — usually a few weeks with treatment, or several months without. This is the most reliable way to prevent transmission.

Condoms offer only partial protection here, because they cover the penis but not the surrounding pubic skin, lower abdomen, inner thighs, or scrotum, where many bumps sit and where skin-to-skin contact still happens. They are still worth using for protection against other STIs and for the partial reduction in molluscum risk — see how effective condoms really are — but they are not complete protection against molluscum.

If your partner has bumps, they should be assessed and treated in parallel, otherwise you may keep passing the infection back and forth. Both of you should also consider broader STI screening (HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, hepatitis B), because the same contact that passed molluscum can pass other infections — and free, confidential screening is available through NACO clinics across India.

Most people with suspected genital molluscum benefit from at least one visit to a dermatologist or gynaecologist to confirm the diagnosis and talk through the options, even if you ultimately choose to wait it out. Book a visit — sooner rather than later — in these situations:

If discussing genital symptoms feels uncomfortable, our guide on talking to a doctor about vaginal and genital concerns can help you prepare and advocate for yourself.

For evaluation in India you have several options: private dermatology clinics (such as Kaya, Oliva, or Apollo dermatology departments) with consultations usually around ₹500–2,000; gynaecology clinics (Apollo Cradle, Cloudnine, Manipal, Max) where a gynaecological perspective helps; and NACO-funded STI clinics that provide free, confidential consultation and treatment. ASHA workers in primary care can give a confidential referral to your nearest government STI clinic and support you if privacy is a concern.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Molluscum Contagiosum
• NHS (UK) — Molluscum contagiosum
• DermNet — Molluscum contagiosum
• National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Government of India — STI/RTI Services
• World Health Organization — Sexually transmitted infections (STIs))