Balloon cell nevus is a benign
nevus
Nevus (plural nevi) is a nonspecific medical term for a visible, circumscribed, chronic lesion of the skin or mucosa. The term originates from ''nævus'', which is Latin for "birthmark"; however, a nevus can be either congenital (present at bir ...
.
It appears like a
melanocytic nevus
A melanocytic nevus (also known as nevocytic nevus, nevus-cell nevus and commonly as a mole) is a type of melanocytic tumor that contains nevus cells. Some sources equate the term mole with "melanocytic nevus", but there are also sources that equat ...
.
Histologically
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single ...
it is characterized by swollen, pale, polyhedral
melanocyte
Melanocytes are melanin-producing neural crest-derived cells located in the bottom layer (the stratum basale) of the skin's epidermis, the middle layer of the eye (the uvea),
the inner ear,
vaginal epithelium, meninges,
bones,
and heart.
...
s, with pale cytoplasm and a central nucleus.
[ It is different to balloon cell melanoma,]melanoma
Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...
.[
It was first described by Judalaewitsch in 1901.][
]
See also
* Pseudomelanoma
Pseudomelanoma (also known as a "recurrent melanocytic nevus", and "recurrent nevus") is a cutaneous condition in which melanotic skin lesions clinically resemble a superficial spreading melanoma at the site of a recent shave removal of a mela ...
* Skin lesion
A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this s ...
References
External links
Melanocytic nevi and neoplasms
{{Cutaneous-condition-stub