READ MORE ABOUT SKIN MOLES
Nevi are clusters of pigmented cells that appear as small, dark brown spots. Nevi can come in a range of colors and can develop anywhere on your body. Most Nevi are harmless, yet in rare cases, these "nevi"
moles may become cancerous.
Monitoring moles and pigmented patches is important in detecting skin cancer. Not all melanomas develop from pre-existing moles, but many begin in or near a mole or other dark spot on the skin.
Nevus (plural nevi) is the most ordinary abnormality of the skin, and evidently serves no function. If a birthmark is caused by pigment, it's called a pigmented or melanocytic nevus. If it is present at birth, it's called congenital.
Most people don't realize that moles can be so large as to be diagnosed medically as "giant nevi." Moles can cover a very large part of the body. Large nevi are found in every race, and strike genders equally.
These are the types of melanocytic nevus known to the medical field today:
Compound nevus: a mixture of junctional and intra-dermal proliferation. Compound nevi are slightly raised and brown to black.
Junctional nevus: the nevus cells are located along the junction of the epithelium and the underlying dermis. A junctional nevus is flat and brown to black.
Connective tissue nevus: fleshy, deep nodules, these are rare.
Nevus sebaceous: variant of epidermal nevus on the scalp presenting as a hairless, fleshy or yellowish area.
Epidermal nevus: congenital, flesh-colored, raised or warty, often linear lesion, usually on the upper half of the body.
Mongolian spot: congenital large, deep, bluish discoloration on the back of Asian babies.
Nevus of Ito and Nevus of Ota: congenital, flat brownish lesions on the face or shoulder.
Intra-mucosal nevus: junctional nevus of the mucosa of the mouth or genital areas. In the mouth, they are found most frequently on the hard palate.
Giant Hairy Nevus: these large, pigmented, often hairy congenital nevi can be a source of much psychological and social suffering. They are also important because melanoma may occasionally (close to 15%) appear in them.
Spitz nevus: a distinct variant of intra-dermal nevus, usually in a child. They are raised and reddish (non-pigmented). A pigmented variant, called the nevus of Reed, typically appears on the leg of young women.
Blue nevus: the nevus cells are very deep in the dermis.
Intra-dermal nevus: the nevus cells are located in the dermis only. Intra-dermal nevi are raised; most are flesh-colored (has no pigmentation).
