Bathing trunk nevus

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Congenital nevus on the abdomen

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Bathing trunk nevus

Definition:

A bathing trunk nevus is a darkly pigmented, disfiguring, often hairy patch of skin (nevus) present at birth, which may cover an extremely large area of the body. Sometimes the nevus covers most of the trunk, the upper arms, and thighs.

Alternative Names:

Congenital giant pigmented nevus; Giant hairy nevus

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Bathing trunk nevi are thought to be caused by spontaneous mutations or other events during fetal development, but in some families, the frequent appearance of these lesions suggests that they may be genetically inherited. They may be associated with other birth defects.

The surface texture may vary from smooth to warty, and the color varies from brown to bluish black. Bathing trunk nevi may cause emotional problems because of their appearance.

They can also be dangerous. The nevus has a high risk of developing into melanoma (a type of skin cancer). The risk is thought to be between 3% and 7%.

Review Date: 10/29/2004
Reviewed By: Jonathan Kantor, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.