Skin melanocytic tumor
Lentigines, melanotic macules and melanocytic hyperplasia
Ephelis
Author: Christopher S. Hale, M.D.
Last author update: 1 April 2013
Last staff update: 8 November 2021
Copyright: 2002-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: ephelides (freckle) OR ephelis
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Clinical images | Microscopic (histologic) description | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Hale CS. Ephelis. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/skintumormelanocyticephelis.html. Accessed April 23rd, 2024.
Definition / general
- Benign lesion of sun exposed skin, associated with fair skin and red hair (Wikipedia)
- Appears in early childhood; fades in winter, reappears in summer
- Due to variations in melanocortin 1 receptor gene (Hum Mol Genet 2001;10:1701)
- Risk factor for skin cancer (Int J Cancer 2010;127:2430)
Terminology
- Plural is ephelides
Clinical images
Images hosted on other servers:
Face
Face and upper body
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Mild hyperpigmentation of basal keratinocytes, normal architecture
- No increase in number of melanocytes
Differential diagnosis
