What is Spitz Nevus?

Spitz Nevus is a benign skin growth that is most commonly seen in people under 20 years of age. This is also known as benign juvenile melanoma or epithelioid and spindle-cell Nevus. These lesions seem to be painless, red, raised areas of the skin. Although benign and usually do not cause any complications, it may be difficult to distinguish themselves from malignant melanoma, a condition that can be very dangerous. For this reason, these lesions are often removed surgically. They usually appear as lonely lesions, but sometimes the affected person could have several of these lesions grouped together. Spitz Nevus usually does not cause any symptoms and is generally not painful in any way. They most often occur on the face, neck, shoulders and arms. About half -diagnosed cases are found in patients aged 10 years or younger. Although they are more likely to be seen in people with fair skin, they are also quite common in the Hispanic population. Spitz Nevi is found in both men and women. Reasons why these lesions evolvein some individuals, they are not well understood; However, it is known that they represent a benign proliferation of a certain type of skin cell called melanocyte.

One of the main problems associated with Spitz Nevus is to diagnose. Many other skin lesions such as hemangiomas, malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinomas, moths and pyogenic granulomas look very like Spitz Nevi. Therefore, a biopsy of a lesion is often performed to ensure that this is not a dangerous condition such as cancer. However, this is not reliable, because the appearance of Spitz Nevus under the microscope can be very similar from malignant melanoma. While Spitz Nevus is a benign state that does not cause any complications, malignant melanoma is an aggressive cancer that tends to spread to distant areas of the body.

Because it is often difficult to confirm that lesions are Spitz nevus, and to rule out the fact that it could be melanoma, these lesions are often aboutDstrained. Dermatologists or surgeons use the whole lesion as well as the edge of the skin surrounding the lesion. This skin tissue is evaluated by laboratory studies to see if any of the lesion attacked the surroundings at the microscopic level. Some patients sometimes have a recurrence of these lesions after initial removal, and in these cases the new lesion is again surgically removed.