moles Flashcards
what are moles also known as
melanocytic naevi
what are the two main types of moles
congenital and acquired
what are congenital moles
present on skin from birth. 1-2% of babies have these
what are the 3 types of congenital moles (sizes)
small = <2mm medium = >2mm-<20mm large = garment type lesion
what is the treatment for congenital moles
leave them alone
what is the treatment for large congenital moles, why?
staged surgical excision
10-15% risk of melanoma
describe how moles are acquired
during infancy melanocyte to keratinocyte ratio breaks down at a number of sites forming moles
describe the pathway of mole development
childhood = melanocytes proliferate causing clusters at the junction
adolescence = compound naevus: clusters are located at the junction and in groups within the dermis
adulthood = intradermal naevus: al junctional activity ceases and clusters are entirely dermal
what is a dysplastic naevi
archiectural and cellular atypia. the epidermis is not affected. pre-malignant
what are the two types of dysplastic naevi
sporadic
familial
describe the features of SPORADIC dysplastic naevi
not inherited
1 to several atypical naevi
risk of malignancy slightly raised
describe the features of FAMILIAL dysplastic naevi
strong FH (autosomal inheritance) many atypical naevi (100+) lifetime risk of melanoma = 100%
describe the appearance of dysplastic naevi
generally >6mm
variegated pigment
border asymmetry
what is a halo naevi
rare
peripheral halo of depigmentation
what is a blue naevi
rare
entirely dermal, consisting of pigment rich dendritic spindle cells
