Epidermal nevus

What it means

Epidermal naevi are due to an overgrowth of the epidermis and may be present at birth (50%) or develop during childhood.

Epidermal nevus arises from a defect in the ectoderm and in general are due to an overgrowth of keratinocytes. Subclasses of epidermal nevus include Linear epidermal naevus, epidermolytic epidermal naevus, acantholytic epidermal naevus, linear porokeratosis, and systematized epidermal naevus. Several other conditions are also characterized by benign overgrowth of the epidermis and its appendages (organoid naevi), including inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal naevus, sebaceous naevus, sweat gland naevi, comedone naevus, and Becker naevus.

Rare diseases that can present with this4

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Epidermal nevi