What is the cause of this papular eruption?

Answer: Molluscum contagiosum

These umbilicated papules were consistent with molluscum contagiosum. This poxvirus typically is seen in prepubescent children who have atopic dermatitis and in young adults as a sexually transmitted infection. This patient was believed to have acquired molluscum contagiosum in the gym while lifting weights, although it is possible he acquired the infection via skin-to-skin contact elsewhere. Destructive modalities such as cryotherapy are effective therapies.

Typically, warts are not as inflamed as these lesions or umbilicated. Staphylococcal and herpetic infections are typically symptomatic. There is no evidence of shaving as a cause in this patient’s case.

David L. Kaplan, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri, and at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kansas. He practices adult and pediatric dermatology in Overland Park, Kansas.