Skin nonmelanocytic tumor

Other tumors of skin

Nevus lipomatosus superficialis



Last author update: 1 August 2012
Last staff update: 1 November 2023

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PubMed Search: Nevus lipomatosus superficialis

Vijay Shankar, M.D.
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Cite this page: Shankar V. Nevus lipomatosus superficialis. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/skintumornonmelanocyticnls.html. Accessed March 29th, 2024.
Definition / general
  • Nodules of mature fat tissue within dermis
  • Either solitary or multiple
Terminology
  • Also called nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis and dermolipoma
  • Not a WHO diagnosis
  • First described in 1921 by Hoffman and Zurhelle
  • Considered to be a developmental anomaly or hamartoma
Epidemiology
  • Uncommon
  • At birth or by age 20 years
Clinical features
  • Buttocks or upper thighs
  • Either solitary (more common) or multiple type of Hoffmann-Zurhelle (Tunis Med 2006;84:800)
Case reports
Treatment
  • Excision - does not recur
Clinical images

Images hosted on other servers:

Lumbar region

Brown-red nodules

Gross description
  • Soft yellow papules
Microscopic (histologic) description
  • Mature adipocytes in dermis
  • No encapsulation or connection with subcutaneous fat
  • No distinct epidermal changes
Microscopic (histologic) images

Images hosted on other servers:

Dermal adipose tissue is continuous with underlying subcutis

Ectopic fat in mid to lower dermis

Nodule formed by clusters of mature fat cells

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