What is melanocytic nevi?

➢ Strictly speaking, the term nevus denotes any congenital lesion of the skin. ➢ Melanocytic nevus, however, refers to any benign congenital or acquired neoplasm of melanocytes. ➢ Commonly tan-to-brown, uniformly pigmented, small papules (5 mm or less across) with well-defined, rounded borders. ➢ Early lesions are composed of round to oval cells that grow in "nests” along the dermoepidermal junction. ➢ Nuclei are uniform and round, and contain inconspicuous nucleoli with little or no mitotic activity. ➢ Such early-stage lesions are called junctional nevi.