Dermoscopic Findings of an Unusual Acral Nevus on the Hand of a Child

Abstract

Distinguishing benign acral nevi from small early acral melanomas may be challenging in certain cases. Dermoscopy is a noninvasive imaging technique that can help clinicians better visualize deeper lesion structures and thus more easily differentiate benign nevi from melanoma. We report the case of a 13-year-old girl with a changing dark brown to black macule with a central papular component on the volar surface of the right third finger. Dermoscopy revealed asymmetrically distributed irregular black blotches on a bluish-black background. Histopathology revealed a traumatized compound melanocytic nevus. Certain melanocytic nevi, although histologically benign, may not conform to the limited selection of reassuring benign dermoscopic patterns. Nevi in children are often dynamic and have a high likelihood of dermoscopic change.

Dermoscopic Aspects of Traumatized Nevi After Dermabrasion

“…8,9 There are very few studies about the dermoscopic changes caused by unintentional trauma in melanocytic nevi. 19,20 Yoshida and colleagues reported the case of a 47year-old patient who presented with pigmentation in a starburst pattern after trauma in a nevus present since childhood. The combination of anatomopathological and immunohistochemical examinations confirmed a recurrent nevus.…”