Benign and Malignant Nevi Benign Nevus The benign nevus, or common mole, usually appears in the first few decades. Several nevi may arise at the same time, but their appearance usually remains unchanged. Note the following features and contrast them with those of atypical nevi and melanoma: - Round or oval shape - Sharply defined borders - Uniform color, especially skin-colored, tan or brown - Diameter mm but > 10 mm if congenital - Flat or raised surface Changes in these features raise the spectre of atypical (dysplastic) nevi, or melanoma. Atypical nevi are varied in color but often dark and larger than 6 mm, with irregular borders that fade into the surrounding skin. Look for atypical nevi primarily on the trunk. They may number more than 50 to 100. Malignant Melanoma Learn the ABCDEs of melanoma from these reference standard photographs from the American Cancer Society: • Asymmetry (Fig. A) • Irregular Borders, especially notching (Fig. B) • Variation in Color, especially mixtures of black, blue, white and red (Figs. B, C) • Diameter >6 mm (Fig. C) • Evolution or change in size, symptoms or morphology #Benign #Malignant #Nevi #Melanoma #Moles #Dermatology #Diagosis #ABCDEs
