acquired nevus
A melanocytic nevus that is not visible at birth, but appears in childhood or adult life.
balloon cell nevus
A nevus in which many of the cells are large, with clear cytoplasm.
A nevus is a birthmark, mole, or any other kind of growth or mark on the skin that a person is born with.
basal cell nevus
A hereditary disease noted in infancy or adolescence, characterized by lesions of the eyelids, nose, cheeks, neck, and axillae, appearing as uneroded flesh-colored papules, some becoming pedunculated, and histologically indistinguishable from basal cell epithelioma.
blue nevus
A dark blue nevus covered by smooth skin.
It is composed of melanin-pigmented spindle cells in the mid-dermis.
blue rubber blep nevus
An erectile, easily compressable, bluish, cavernous hemangioma that is present in the skin and gastrointestinal tract.
capillary nevus
A nevus of dilated capillary vessels elevated above the skin.
It is usually treated by ligature (thread used to tie something) and excision (cut out).
connective tissue nevus
A nevus composed of collagenous tissue; which is, any of a class of extracellular proteins abundant in higher animals; especially, in the skin, bone, cartilage, tendon, and teeth, forming strong insoluble fibers and serving as connective tissue between cells. It yields gelatin when denatured by boiling.
cutaneous nevus
A nevus formation on the skin.
epidermal nevus
Raised lesions present at birth. They may be hyperkeratotic (horny layer of the skin) and widely distributed.
hairy nevus, nevus pilosus
A nevus covered by a heavy growth of hair. It is usually darkly pigmented.
intradermal nevus
A nevus in which the melanocytes (epidermal cells that give skin its color) are found in nests in the dermis and have no connection with the deeper layers from which they were formed.
nape nevus
A pale vascular birthmark found on the nape of the neck in 25-50 percent of normal people.
nevocytic nevus
A common mole.
Moles may appear at any age. They are classified according to their stage of growth and whether or not they are still growing.
nevoid, naevoid, neviform
Associated with nevi; referring to any lesion containing melanocytes or a birthmark.
nevomelanoma, naevomelanoma
A malignant melanoma or the most dangerous form of skin cancer, a malignancy of the melanocyte, the cell that produces pigment in the skin.
Melanoma is most common in people with fair skin, but can occur in people with all skin colors. Most melanomas show up as a dark, mole-like spot that spreads and, unlike a mole, has an irregular border.
The tendency toward melanoma may be inherited, and the risk increases with overexposure to the sun and sunburn.
