How can I treat small warts?

Question: My young teenage daughter was diagnosed with a form of warts. They are small, start out like little pimples and are itchy. They are spreading around her body. Is there any cure?

Dr. Schultz: It sounds like you are describing a viral rash related to actual warts called, "Molluscum Contagiosum." While many topical treatments are recommended, they rarely work and sometimes cause darkening of the skin around the bumps without curing them. Unfortunately, the method that works best to cure this is having each one scraped off with a special instrument (a curette) by a dermatologist. Topical anesthetic cream can be used to make it completely painless. While it is true that they ultimately go away by themselves, it is frustrating and worrisome to wait for that to happen while they continue to spread because they are very contagious.