A variety of benign lesions in elderly patients involve proliferation of melanocytes. These lesions include dysplastic nevi, which histologically contain somewhat asymmetric nests of melanocytes; compound nevi, which histologically contain more symmetric nests of melanocytes in the dermis and epidermis and intradermal nevi, which histologically contain nests of melanocytes in the dermis.
A variety of benign lesions in elderly patients involve proliferation of melanocytes.1,2 These lesions include dysplastic nevi, which histologically contain somewhat asymmetric nests of melanocytes (A); compound nevi, which histologically contain more symmetric nests of melanocytes in the dermis and epidermis (B); and intradermal nevi, which histologically contain nests of melanocytes in the dermis (C). Melanocytic nevi do not require removal unless a melanoma is suspected.
REFERENCES:1.Strungs I. Common and uncommon variants of melanocytic naevi. Pathology. 2004;36:396-403.
2. Schaffer JV, Bolognia JL. The clinical spectrum of pigmented lesions. Clin Plast Surg. 2000;27:391-408, viii.