What is nævus lipomatodes?
A nævus with excessive fat and connective-tissue hypertrophy.
State the etiology of nævus pigmentosus.
The causes are obscure. The growths are usually congenital; but the smooth, non-hairy moles may be acquired.
Give the pathology of nævus pigmentosus.
Microscopical examination shows a marked increase in the pigment in the lowest layers of the rete mucosum, as well as more or less pigmentation in the corium usually following the course of the bloodvessels; in the verrucous variety the papillæ are greatly hypertrophied, in addition to the increased pigmentation. There is, as a rule, more or less connective-tissue hypertrophy.
What is the treatment of nævus pigmentosus?
In many instances interference is scarcely called for, but when demanded consists in the removal of the formation either by the knife, by caustics, or by electrolysis. This last is, in the milder varieties at least, perhaps the best method, as it is less likely to be followed by disfiguring cicatrices. In nævus pilosus the removal of the hairs alone by electrolysis is not infrequently followed by a decided diminution of the pigmentation. In recent years both liquid air and carbon dioxide have also been used successfully in the removal of these growths. Pigmented nævi, which show the least tendency to growth or degenerative change, should be radically removed, as they not infrequently lead to carcinomatous and sarcomatous growths.
Ichthyosis.
(Synonym: Fish-skin Disease.)