# Benign Melanocytic Naevus (Mole) - Category: chronic - Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page) - Sources: Congenital Melanocytic Nevi - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563168/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care - Verified date: 2026-08 ## Verified against - No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care - Benign Melanocytic Naevus (Mole) - disease-level clinical article (benign-melanocytic-naevus-clinical.txt) ## Treatment metadata - No drug therapy in primary care (Assessment & Advice) ## Complete treatment card ```text BENIGN MELANOCYTIC NAEVUS (MOLE) Sources: Congenital Melanocytic Nevi - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563168/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care Review status: REVIEWED against No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care, Benign Melanocytic Naevus (Mole) - disease-level clinical article (benign- melanocytic-naevus-clinical.txt) (2026-08) IS IT THIS? - reference only, to read alongside your own examination SYMPTOMS - what the patient reports (5) - Larger lesions can be dry, itchy, ulcerated, or eroded, although most cause no symptoms [itching] - How the mark looks can weigh heavily on both the child and the parents emotionally - An eyelid nevus that spans the lid margin can lead to watering eyes, lid malposition, or a lazy eye [lazy eye] - It is there at birth, or shows up in the baby's first few weeks - Red flag: the bigger the lesion the higher the melanoma risk, and the greater the cosmetic burden, the surgical difficulty and the rate of symptoms SIGNS - what you find (8) - Small-to-medium congenital nevi are well-defined, round or oval marks with an even brown color and smooth surface - Bigger lesions can have an irregular edge, mixed coloring, and a bumpy or nodular surface - Small satellite moles around the main lesion are seen in roughly 80% of giant congenital nevi - Hair growing within the mark occurs in about three-quarters of cases - New raised nodules often develop within larger lesions and usually reflect harmless overgrowth of pigment cells - A nevus spanning the eyelid can split into matching halves when the fused lids separate before birth - Size is graded on the diameter the lesion is expected to reach in adulthood: small is under 1.5 cm, large or giant is 20 cm and over, and medium is everything between - To project the adult size, scale by where it sits: the head by 1.7, the lower limb by 3.3, the upper limb and trunk by 2.8 TESTS (4) - The diagnosis is usually made just by looking at the lesion - Dermatoscopy most often shows a globular pigment pattern - A tissue sample can exclude a malignant look-alike when there is diagnostic doubt - Small globules, vessels, hair follicle openings, and a network pattern on dermoscopy help separate it from an acquired mole IF NOT THIS - what else fits (8) - Acquired melanocytic nevus - Congenital blue nevus - A lentigo (flat pigmented spot) - Mongolian spots - Nevus spilus - Becker nevus - Cafe-au-lait spots - Pigmented epidermal nevus Source StatPearls "Congenital Melanocytic Nevi" - disease-level clinical article Status traced to the source above 1. NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (ASSESSMENT & ADVICE) [1st line] Adult A common benign pigmented skin lesion arising from a cluster of melanocytes; reassurance is usually all that is needed, with excision only if it is changing, symptomatic, or cosmetically unwanted, and referral if any melanoma warning feature appears. - Assessment and advice Peds Children follow the same pathway: assessment, explanation and follow-up. No primary-care medicine is implied. Source No dose - no medicine is given for this in primary care Why A common benign pigmented skin lesion arising from a cluster of melanocytes; reassurance is usually all that is needed, with excision only if it is changing, symptomatic, or cosmetically unwanted, and referral if any melanoma warning feature appears. Caution No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care. The value of the consultation is recognition, explanation and follow-up, and referral if the red flags above appear. RED FLAG - Patients with large CMNs require long-term monitoring for both cutaneous and extracutaneous malignancy features. RED FLAG - Giant or multiple congenital melanocytic naevi can carry neurocutaneous melanosis, which declares itself as raised intracranial pressure: a seizure, a focal cranial nerve palsy, or hydrocephalus. RED FLAG - A change in size, shape or colour, or a new symptom such as bleeding or itching, raises the question of melanoma and needs urgent referral. Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy. ``` --- Dawaa Reference is a reference for prescribers, not a medical device, and does not replace clinical judgement. [Privacy policy](/privacy)