National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Epidermal nevus

An epidermal nevus is a noncancerous (benign) patch of skin caused by an overgrowth of skin cells. The nevi (plural form of nevus) are seen at birth or develop in early childhood. They can be flat, tan patches of skin, or raised, velvety patches and may become thicker and darker and develop a wart-like (verrucous) appearance. Often, epidermal nevi follow a pattern on the skin known as the “lines of Blaschko”. Sometimes, people with an epidermal nevus may have problems in other body systems, such as the brain, eyes, or bones; these people are said to have an epidermal nevus syndrome, which is a group of different disorders.[1][2][3][4] Mutations associated with an epidermal nevus are present only in the cells of the nevus, not in the normal skin cells surrounding it, and may involve the FGFR3, PIK3CA or, HRAS genes.[4][5] Treatment is challenging and may include topical medication and surgery.[4][5]
Last updated: 6/12/2017

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Melanocytic nevus
Beauty mark
0000995
Numerous nevi
Numerous moles
0001054
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Patient Registry

  • A registry supports research by collecting of information about patients that share something in common, such as being diagnosed with Epidermal nevus. The type of data collected can vary from registry to registry and is based on the goals and purpose of that registry. Some registries collect contact information while others collect more detailed medical information. Learn more about registries.

    Registries for Epidermal nevus:
    The National Registry for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Disorders
     

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • DermNet New Zealand is an online resource about skin diseases developed by the New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated. DermNet NZ provides information about this condition.
  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Epidermal nevus. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. Epidermal Nevus. Genetics Home Reference. 2011; https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/epidermal-nevus.
  2. Epidermal naevi. DermNetNZ. 2016; http://www.dermnetnz.org/lesions/epidermal-naevi.html.
  3. Epidermal Nevus Syndromes. NORD. 2016; http://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/epidermal-nevus-syndromes/.
  4. Epidermal nevus. OMIM. 2015; http://www.omim.org/entry/162900.
  5. Wright TS. Epidermal nevus and epidermal nevus syndrome. UpToDate. January 16, 2016; http://www.uptodate.com/contents/epidermal-nevus-and-epidermal-nevus-syndrome.