What is junctional activity

The junctional nevus is composed of discrete nests of melanocytes/nevus cells at the dermoepidermal junction, usually located on the rete ridges, which often show some accentuation. The cells are oval to cuboidal in shape, with clear cytoplasm containing a variable amount of melanin pigment. Mitoses are rare or absent.

What is junctional activity in nevus?

The junctional nevus is composed of discrete nests of melanocytes/nevus cells at the dermoepidermal junction, usually located on the rete ridges, which often show some accentuation. The cells are oval to cuboidal in shape, with clear cytoplasm containing a variable amount of melanin pigment. Mitoses are rare or absent.

Is junctional nevus a cancer?

A junctional nevus is a non-cancerous type of growth made up of melanocytes. Junctional nevi are usually seen in individuals of lighter skin complexion and can be found anywhere on the body.

What is a junctional component?

Also by definition, dysplastic nevi contain a junctional component, which is commonly present as a ‘shoulder‘, adjacent to a compound papular ‘head’. In other lesions that lack a dermal component, the lesion is entirely junctional.

Should a junctional nevus be removed?

The histologic findings of small, uniform, symmetrical, well circumscribed nests of melanocytes are reassuring for melanocytic nevi. Junctional Nevi are, by definition, benign and most remain benign throughout a person’s lifetime. Therefore, most moles will never need to be treated.

What does junctional mean in dermatology?

A junctional nevus is a mole that occurs between two layers of skin. This image shows two junctional nevi that appear as uniformly brown small macules, round in shape with smooth regular borders. Color Atlas & Synopsis of Pediatric Dermatology.

Are dermal nevus benign?

“Intradermal” means that the cells of the mole are located beneath the most external layer of skin. Because of this, the birthmark has the same degree of pigmentation as the surrounding skin. In most cases, intradermal nevi appear after adolescence and are benign (noncancerous) skin growths.

What is melanocytic proliferation?

Atypical intraepidermal melanocytic proliferation (AIMP) is a descriptive histopathologic term commonly used in these cases to denote morphology sharing some features with melanoma but failing to meet criteria of a definitive benign or malignant diagnosis.

What means melanocytic?

(meh-LAN-oh-site) A cell in the skin and eyes that produces and contains the pigment called melanin. Enlarge.

What is papillary dermal fibroplasia?

The papillary dermal fibroplasia may encircle rete ridges (concentric fibrosis) or be confined to the tips of the rete ridges as stacks of collagen fibers (lamellar fibrosis) (1,2,4–7).

Article first time published on

How do I get rid of junctional nevus?

Is Removal Possible? Small nevi can be removed by simple surgical excision. The nevus is cut out, and the adjacent skin stitched together leaving a small scar. Removal of a large congenital nevus, however, requires replacement of the affected skin.

Can a nevus become cancerous?

A dysplastic nevus is more likely than a common mole to become cancer, but most do not become cancer.

Does junctional nevus grow?

Junctional nevi will typically grow to be 3 or 4 mm across, stop growing sideways, and begin to evolve into a compound nevus. This evolution continues through the compound nevus stage to the dermal nevus stage. In the dermal nevus all of the melanocytes are in the dermis.

What are acquired nevi?

Acquired melanocytic nevi are clumps of melanocytes which originate in childhood but usually manifest during the prime of life, in individuals in the 30-40 year age group. Their number increases with sun exposure and in individuals with fairer skin color.

Is a compound nevus benign or malignant?

Compound naevi are considered to be benign neoplasms of melanocytes if they arise in later life. Compound naevi arise from a flat (junctional) naevus that exists earlier in life and may have a raised central portion of deeper pigmentation with surrounding tan-brown macular pigmentation.

What is the cause of nevus?

These marks are thought to be caused by a localized increase in melanocytes as a baby grows in the womb. Melanocytes are the skin cells that produce melanin, which gives skin its color. A nevus has an increased amount of melanocytes. The condition is thought to be caused by a gene defect.

What causes nevus mole?

Your skin gets its color from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Nevi (moles) form when these cells group together in one place, rather than being evenly distributed throughout our skin. In the case of congenital nevi, this process happens during the fetal stage.

What moles are cancerous?

Malignant melanoma, which starts out as a mole, is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, killing almost 10,000 people each year. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but they can be almost any color; skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. Melanomas are caused mainly by intense UV exposure.

What do nevi look like?

A common mole (nevus) is a small growth on the skin that is usually pink, tan, or brown and has a distinct edge. A dysplastic nevus is often large and does not have a round or oval shape or a distinct edge. It may have a mixture of pink, tan, or brown shades.

What is a junctional rhythm?

A junctional rhythm is where the heartbeat originates from the AV node or His bundle, which lies within the tissue at the junction of the atria and the ventricle. Generally, in sinus rhythm, a heartbeat is originated at the SA node.

What is junctional melanocytic proliferation?

The histological term, junctional melanocytic hyperplasia (JMH), refers to the proliferation of single melanocytes along the dermal epidermal junction that is the basal layer where normal melanocytes reside. JMH is characteristic of lentigo simplex, junctional nevus, and dysplastic nevus.

What color is mole?

A normal mole is usually an evenly colored brown, tan, or black spot on the skin. It can be either flat or raised. It can be round or oval. Moles are generally less than 6 millimeters (about ¼ inch) across (about the width of a pencil eraser).

What is dysplastic nevus?

(dis-PLAS-tik NEE-vus) A specific type of nevus (mole) that looks different from a common mole. Dysplastic nevi are mostly flat and often larger than common moles and have borders that are irregular. A dysplastic nevus can contain different colors, which can range from pink to dark brown.

What does the term nevi mean?

(NEE-vus) A benign (not cancer) growth on the skin that is formed by a cluster of melanocytes (cells that make a substance called melanin, which gives color to skin and eyes). A nevus is usually dark and may be raised from the skin. Also called mole.

Is melanocytic nevus benign or malignant?

Melanocytic nevi are benign neoplasms or hamartomas composed of melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells that constitutively colonize the epidermis.

What is epithelioid melanoma?

Epithelioid melanoma cells (400×, H&E). These cells resemble epithelium because of abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and enlarged round to oval-shaped nuclei. Epithelioid melanoma cells often lack cohesiveness and demonstrate marked pleomorphism, including the formation of multinucleated tumor cells (arrow).

Is atypical junctional melanocytic proliferation melanoma?

Atypical junctional melanocytic hyperplasia (AJMH) is a poorly defined clinical entity. For most dermatologists, it represents a melanocytic proliferation that insufficient for a definitive diagnosis of melanoma in situ.

What are Nevomelanocytic nests?

Nevomelanocytic nests are located at the DE junction in discrete nests, accompanied by an underlying collection of dermal nevomelanocytes (see the image below). Compound melanocytic nevus with nests of melanocytes at the dermal-epidermal junction and within the dermis.

What is the difference between nevus cells and melanocytes?

Nevus cells are a variant of melanocytes. They are larger than typical melanocytes, do not have dendrites, and have more abundant cytoplasm with coarse granules. They are usually located at the dermoepidermal junction or in the dermis of the skin.

What is polypoid intradermal nevus?

Intradermal naevi are dome-shaped, nodular or polypoid lesions that may become non-pigmented, particularly on the face. Nests of melanocytes are confined to the dermis.

Can epidermal nevus be removed?

The treatment of choice for small epidermal nevi is surgical excision. Superficial means of removal frequently result in recurrence. Aggressive approaches may be more successful, but also carry a higher risk of postoperative scarring.