Derm News: 2007.7(8)

Dispelling the myth of the "benign hair sign" for melanoma

Volume 56, Issue 3, Pages 413-416 (March 2007) J Am Acad Dermatol
Alon Scope, Michela Tabanelli, Klaus J. Busam, Harold Rabinovitz, Ralph P. Braun, Ashfaq A. Marghoob,
ABSTRACT

The vast majority of melanocytic lesions with hair, such as congenital melanocytic nevi, are benign. However, there is a notion that the presence of one or more hairs in a melanocytic lesion is confirmatory for the benign nature of the lesion. To dispel this notion, we present 3 examples of melanocytic lesions that showed terminal hairs on clinical and dermoscopic evaluation, but in which the final diagnosis was invasive melanoma. Thus, integrating all clinical and dermoscopic findings, rather than relying on a single criterion for the lesion at hand should guide clinicians to the correct diagnosis.

    Back to Current Volume:   Dermatology News 2007.7

The Derm News service provided by the Editorial Consultants of Skin Therapy Letter^© and its founding editor Dr. Stuart Maddin.