HomeAnswersDermatologymeyerson nevusShould I be worried about an itchy mole turning dark?

A mole under my knee cap area became itchy and turned dark after a week. Why?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Sushrutha M.

Published At July 24, 2021
Reviewed AtSeptember 1, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I recently have a new situation on my right leg, just under the knee cap area. I am 35-year-old, and for my whole life, I thought I had a mole there. Still not sure if it is an actual mole or not. It is mostly flat, with a normal dark color similar to a mole and in size similar to an average mole as well. At times it is a little dry and a bit scaly, as if you could kind of peel off a little bit of the edges (although not possible, as it will cause normal damage you would expect). Other than this, it had zero issues my whole life. I do not even have any old pictures of it, as it never caught my special attention. Until the past one and a half months or so, the area started to have a little itch. Nothing too crazy, but the itch is something new, and maybe happens one to two times, during every one to two days, for just a brief moment. I give it a quick casual scratch surrounding the mole area without actually scratching directly on the mole to prevent damage. After about a week since the itch started, I finally decided to take a look, and it seems like that mole is gone or came off. Now there is a flat dark mark remaining, and a new scab or crust starting to form around it, and it is getting bigger as time pass. I have never experienced this before. There is no pain or anything other than the same occasional itch that only just recently began. I do not recall anything specific that happened, other than around the same time I started using a new sunscreen. I do not use sunscreen much at all in the past, but I did purchase a new one around a couple of months ago and had just used it only once on that area so far, not sure if it is related or not. I started taking photos of it for one month and began documenting how it is progressing once every few days. I am attaching the pictures for your reference. What is the issue? Kindly give your opinion.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern. I also appreciate the detailed history of progression and very nice photographic documentation (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). The condition is known as Meyerson nevus, other names are Meyerson phenomenon or halo dermatitis, or halo eczema. As the name suggests, there develops an eczematous response around a preexisting, mostly benign melanocytic nevus in this condition. The periphery is more prominent than the immediate area surrounding the nevus. It can happen with few other conditions as well, besides the nevus. The exact cause is unknown, but it is supposed to be an immune response. Sunburn or chemotherapy can precipitate in some cases. Dermatitis itself can last for few weeks to few months and might lead to slight hypopigmentation around the nevus. You can apply a mid-potency steroid cream like Mometasone to reduce the erythema and itching. However, when the condition subsides eventually, the nevus remains unchanged. I hope this was helpful.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Dilip Kumar Meena
Dr. Dilip Kumar Meena

Dermatology

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