Ah, summertime. A season of sunshine, half-day Fridays, copious sunscreen application, and a general easy, breezy, blissful feeling. Oh, and sweat, bacne, thigh chafing, and, in some cases, a smattering of pesky little bumps in the area above your upper thigh and below your buttcheeks. What are those, and where did they come from?
Go ahead and blame summer for this not-quite-bum-breakout. In a recent viral video, Kavita Mariwalla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Long Island, New York, flagged that she’s noticed an uptick in both warts and molluscum—or small, smooth bumps—on that specific area and noted that it could potentially be due to the miniskirts and microshorts frequently worn in the summertime. And according to the dermatologist, she’s seeing “two to three cases per week” in her office, with young people coming in concerned about a bump or bumps on the back of their upper thighs. (Dr. Mariwalla says this crescent-shaped junction is often referred to as the “banana roll.”)
At first, Dr. Mariwalla tells Allure, she thought it was a random one-off case; derms often see molluscum cases in the summer months. (There’s a reason its proper name is molluscum contagiosum; it’s very contagious.) “But as the summer dragged on, I noticed some cases were warts.” As the summer went on, cases continued. She asked around her office and other providers said they, too, were seeing similar bumps near the banana roll region. And thus, a trend—if you can call it that!—was born.
Both warts and molluscum are common skin conditions, explains Dara Spearman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Molluscum is caused by a virus and spawns the pimple-like bumps. It is typically spread via skin-to-skin contact, sharing personal items like towels, and summer activities like swimming and sports, she explains. Warts, on the other hand, are caused by a virus that gets into the skin via cuts or breaks, and this virus turns into rough bumps on the skin—often on hands or the soles of the feet. Warts, too, are generally spread by time in shared spaces, says Dr. Spearman; pools, locker rooms, and gyms are particular hotspots.
Shorter hemlines may be egging on this summer skin trend, but don’t toss that minidress just yet. This isn’t to shame anyone wearing short shorts or skirts—you should absolutely wear what you feel comfortable in, especially during the hottest days of summer, and you cannot get a skin infection like this from your clothes. “What someone wears does not directly cause molluscum or warts, and wearing short shorts alone does not increase someone’s risk,” says Dr. Spearman.
Instead, it’s the interaction between your skin and the (sticky, steamy) environment around it that can create a breeding ground for these annoying little bumps, says Dr. Mariwalla. “When it is hot and humid, as this summer has been in the Northeast, viruses and bacteria thrive,” she explains. Molluscum is easily spread, and more exposed skin can lead to increased transmission via skin-to-skin contact or contact with high-traffic surfaces like subway and airplane seats, restaurant booths, pool chairs, and all the other spots you spend time on a warm summer day. Plus, she adds, if you’re adjusting your hemline after sitting or while walking, whatever your hands may have come into contact with is then touching your legs.
The best way to protect your skin from warts and molluscum this summer is to be mindful of the surfaces and public spaces around you. “Simple habits like not sharing personal items, covering active bumps, keeping skin clean, and wearing footwear in shared wet areas can help reduce the risk of spreading these infections,” says Dr. Spearman. If you’re wearing a shorter hemline than normal on a particularly sweaty day, maybe skip the subway seat and stand instead, or bring a small towel or scarf to spread out underneath you to protect your buttcheeks!
