What is a pigmented skin lesion?
Congenital pigmented skin lesions are skin zones containing a higher concentration of superficially located pigment cells at birth, as compared to normal skin areas. These lesions are found in approximately 1% of all newborns. They are classified as follows according to the size of their largest diameter: small if less than 1.5 cm, medium if between 1.5 and 19.9 cm, and large if larger than 20 cm. Very large naevi are also known as giant naevi. These giant naevi form a special risk factor since they may show malignant degeneration throughout life (between 5 and 15%). If so occurs, the malignant degeneration develops already before the age of 10 in 70% of the cases. Because of this risk, large congenital naevi are removed preferably at young age. Which treatment is appropriate and when? If at birth a large skin zone with dark brown – almost black pigmentation (with or without hair formation) is observed, it is advised to treat this skin zone with curettage or dermabrasion before the bab
