Blue Nevi - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Definition

It is also known as blue nevus, nevus ceruleus, nevus bleu. It is usually a benign tumor. It is present on as a solitary blue nodule with s melanocytes covered by smooth skin. The blue color is caused by large, densely packed melanocytes deep in the dermis of the nevus. In children, they usually occur on the buttocks and lumbosacral region and are referred to as cellular blue nevi. malignant blue nevi are more commonly found on the scalp.
The blue nevus is a variant of a common mole. It is composed of melanocytes, the cells which produce the melanin pigment, which have a spindled to epithelioid appearance. This nevus gets its name from the distinct clinical appearance because of the pigmented cells within the dermis. It is benign and is usually more of a cosmetic problem.

Blue Nevi Causes

1. Family history: Five to 10% of all melanoma patients have a first-degree relative who has or has had melanoma. If a person has at least one first-degree relative who has had melanoma, the risk may be 8 times greater than for people with no family history.
2. People who are living in places where ozone layer has been depleted i.e. poles or large cities have large risks to develop this problem in them. This is not safe to expose yourself to direct sunlight for a long time.
3. Melanoma is most common in people over 40 and the incidence increases significantly as people get older. Before age 40, melanomas are slightly more common in women than men, but after age 40 men are more often affected.

Blue Nevi Symptoms

1. Usually skin color changed abnormally. The color is usually brown, black, bluish, or blue-gray.
2. They are oval or round in shape and about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in diameter as the size of a pencil eraser.
3. The edges of blue nevi are ragged, notched, or blurred.
4. The shape of blue nevi can be different on different people. Normally it is round or oval. But it can be of different shapes too.
5. When Blue nevus develops in an existing mole, the texture of the mole can change. For example, it can become hard, lumpy, or scaly

Blue Nevi Treatment

1. For a solitary lesion, simple excision is usually curative. Rare cases of persistent blue nevi, manifesting as satellite lesions around the original excision site, have been reported. These must be distinguished from malignant blue nevus, and reexcision is recommended.
2. Surgery: A biopsy should be performed on any changing pigmented lesion. Although Common blue nevi are clinically benign. Lesions tend to persist unchanged throughout life. But surgery may be effective if blue nevi are creating some problem.
3. Plaque blue nevi are usually excised, as there may be an increased risk of melanoma.
4. If the blue nevus is in acute form then microsurgery may be useful.
5. Clinical experience with pigmented lesions is necessary to determine the proper diagnosis. Persons with unusual or many lesions may benefit from consultation with a dermatologist.