EMLA CREAM PROVIDES RAPID PAIN RELIEF FOR THE CURETTAGE OF MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM IN CHILDREN WITH ATOPIC-DERMATITIS WITHOUT CAUSING SERIOUSAPPLICATION-SITE REACTIONS

Twenty-nine children with atopic dermatitis, 4 to 9 years of age, were included in an open study of the analgesic efficacy and the applicati on-site reactions produced by EMLA cream 5% at a maximum dose of 10 g applied for 30 minutes under occlusion prior to the curettage of mollu scum contagiosum. Molluscum areas with and without eczema were treated . The overall magnitude of pain was assessed first by the child and th en by the physician on a four-step verbal rating scale immediately aft er completion of the curettage. Prior to the surgical treatment, the a pplication site was examined for local skin reactions. Eighty-three pe rcent of the children rated the pain from the surgical procedure as no ne or mild, while the physicians rated the pain as none or mild in 86% of the children. The application-site reactions were parlor, redness, and edema. These reactions were transient and required no clinical at tention. Their incidence or severity did not differ significantly betw een areas with and without eczema. In conclusion, EMLA cream 5% applie d for 30 minutes under an occlusive dressing provides effective local analgesia without serious application-site reactions for the curettage of mollusca contagiosa in children with atopic dermatitis.