What Is the Mole Alphabet Again?

Discussion Melanocytic nevi or moles are pigmented nevi that are extremely common in children with ~ 98% of Caucasian children having at least 1 by early childhood. They are caused by benign melanocyte growth. These nevi reside in the epidermis or dermis, whereas regular melanocytes that produce general skin pigmentation reside in the basal layer. Moles are very often uniform – they basically look the same within the individual. The number of moles increases in the first 2-3 decades of life. Teens having 15-25 moles. They can also disappear. Congenital melanocytic nevi are found in 1-3% of newborns and grow in proportion to the size of the child. They are graded based on the predicted adult size. Estimated lesion size increase from infancy to adult is 1.7x for the head, 3.3 on the legs and 2.8 on all other body areas. Small (< 1.5 cm) and medium size ( 40 cm) have a 5% lifetime risk. Congenital melanocytic nevi also can change over time. “They may begin as flat, evenly pigmented patches or thin plaques and later become more elevated with lighter, darker, or mottled pigmentation and a mammillated, rugose, verrucous, or cerebriform surface.” They can also develop superimposed papules or nodules which may be concerning for melanoma and need evaluation. Acquired melanocytic nevi start to appear after 6 months of age. Changing of acquired moles is common. “Most new nevi [are] small and flat, and there [is] a general tendency for existing flat nevi to ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news