Peer Reviewed
Perspectives on dermoscopy

An irregular, dappled, pigmented patch

Steven Kossard
Abstract
The follicular orifices on the face create a pigment pseudo-network that differs from the network seen at other sites, where a well developed epidermal rete ridge system is associated with a fine diameter mesh.
Key Points
    Case presentation

    Over a five-year period, a 54-year-old man developed an irregular pigmented patch (1.9 cm x 1 cm) anterior to his right sideburn (Figure 1). Dermoscopy revealed a light tan lesion with a prominent broad pigment network formed by numerous oval to round flesh-coloured spaces (Figure 2). A central dark hair could be seen in some of the spaces. Skin biopsy showed that the epidermis had broad, pigmented, club-shaped epidermal ridges adjacent to hair follicles (Figure 3). There was no junctional or nested melanocytic proliferation.

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