Shave excision of common acquired melanocytic nevi: cosmetic outcome, recurrences, and complications

Surgical treatment of benign melanocytic lesions demands the application of simple and effective surgical techniques with the possibility of performing a histopathologic examination with an acceptable cosmetic outcome. However, recurrence rates and the cosmetic result should be taken into account because the main reason for these lesions to be removed is the patient's cosmetic improvement. The present study evaluates the results obtained by shave excision of benign pigmented lesions in terms of cosmetic outcome, recurrence rates, and complications from both a subjective and an objective point of view.

Shave excision of common acquired melanocytic nevi was performed. The patients were reviewed 3 months after surgery to evaluate the objective and subjective cosmetic results, recurrences, and postsurgical complications.

Over a 12-week period, 204 common acquired melanocytic nevi were shaved. Objective evaluation revealed excellent results in one-third (32.8%) of the lesions excised, with a poor result in 8.3%. The likelihood of having an imperceptible scar was significantly greater in lesions excised from the face (p < .05). Ninety-eight percent of patients (n = 192) declared that "the scar looked better than the original mole." Clinical and dermatoscopic recurrences were observed in 40 scars (19.6%).

An acceptable cosmetic result, along with a low rate of recurrence, should be the aim of the surgical treatment of benign melanocytic lesions. The results obtained in this series allow us to provide more detailed and accurate information regarding the outcome and complications expected.