ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Melanonychia striata is common in children of darker-skinned Asian races, while subungual melanoma is extremely rare and it is difficult to make a diagnosis clinically. However, performing nail unit biopsies in children is particularly challenging and can result in permanent nail dystrophy. The aim of this study was to review the clinical and histologic characteristics of melanonychia striata in pediatric patients of Asian descent to aid in the clinical decision regarding nail biopsy. METHODS: Sixty-two pediatric patients presenting with melanonychia striata involving single or multiple nails at two tertiary pediatric dermatology clinics in Singapore between 2005 and 2015 were reviewed. Clinical and histopathological data were analyzed, including age at onset, age at presentation, location, color, width, presence of Hutchinson's sign, pseudo-Hutchinson's sign, nail dystrophy, length of follow-up, and clinical evolution. Histopathological assessment was performed by three senior dermatopathologists independently for cases that underwent a nail biopsy. RESULTS: No cases of subungual melanoma were detected in our series. Solitary melanonychia of the thumbnail with a single uniform color was the most common presentation. Pseudo-Hutchinson's sign was commonly observed. Consensus in histological diagnosis emerged amongst all three dermatopathologists in only half of the cases biopsied. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of melanoma in Asian children presenting with melanonychia is extremely rare. We recommend clinical follow-up and anticipatory guidance for these patients and nail unit biopsy only in the presence of high-risk clinical features.
Subject(s)
Hyperpigmentation/pathology , Melanoma/pathology , Nail Diseases/pathology , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Adolescent , Biopsy , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Hyperpigmentation/ethnology , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Melanoma/ethnology , Nail Diseases/ethnology , Retrospective Studies , Singapore , Skin Neoplasms/ethnologyABSTRACT
Decorative tattooing has been linked with a range of complications, with pseudolymphoma being unusual and challenging to manage. We report a case of tattoo-induced pseudolymphoma, who failed treatment with potent topical and intralesional steroids. She responded well to sequential treatment with ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) followed by Q-Switched (QS) Nd:YAG 532 nm laser. Interestingly, we managed to document the clearance of her tattoo pigments after laser treatments on histology and would like to highlight the use of special stains such as the Grocott's Methenamine Silver (GMS) stain as a useful method to assess the presence of tattoo pigment in cases where dense inflammatory infiltrates are present.
