Cutaneous melanocytic nevi

Cutaneous melanocytic nevi

  • Common nevi 
    • Small (lesions are usually less than 6 mm), flat, and round 
    • Border is regular, smooth, and well-defined
    • Color is homogeneous (usually no more than 2 shades of brown)
    • Any site is affected
    • Some people have only 1 to 5 moles; others have more than 100 
  • Dysplastic nevi
    • Large (usually more than 5 mm) with a flat component 
    • Can be round, oval, or other shape
    • Border is characteristically fuzzy and ill-defined
    • Color is usually brown
      • Can be mottled with dark brown, tan, or pink
    • Occur most commonly on trunk
  • Blue nevi
    • Well-circumscribed, slightly raised or dome-shaped papules, often described as slate-blue in color
    • Usually less than 5 mm in diameter 
    • Occur primarily on face, scalp, and dorsal surfaces of hands and feet
    • Usually acquired in childhood and adolescence
    • Do not demonstrate atypical features
  • Compared visually with common, dysplastic, and blue nevi, melanoma lesions tend to be:
    • Larger (often more than 6 mm) 
    • More irregular in border
    • More heterogeneous in color (wider variation, more shades)
      • Colors range widely and include tan-brown, dark brown, black, pink, red, gray, blue, and white
  • Biopsy is needed to differentiate if lesion is not clearly benign
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