Benign neoplasms of the skin

Virtually all human beings have a number of benign cutaneous neoplasms. Many of these never come to medical attention. Patients who do show such lesions to a physician typically are concerned about the possibility that their growths may be skin cancer. With proper training and experience, the physician should be able to triage most such lesions with a clinical examination. In a medical setting increasingly influenced by managed care and dominated by cost consciousness, the primary care physician is expected to make these clinical judgments without recourse to consultation or histopathologic examination. Familiarity with these common cutaneous tumors, and in particular with their range of variability, is therefore required. This article reviews the clinical aspects of some of the common benign cutaneous lesions. Common clinical scenarios related to these growths are emphasized.