Nevus of the Eyelid Margin Mimicking a Malignant Melanoma

Nevi are a benign skin lesions commonly found on the eyelid margin, these tumors are usually pigmented and have thickness. Nevi are not typically visible at birth; they appear during childhood and often exhibit a more rapid increase in pigmentation about the time of puberty. Most eyelid nevi can be diagnosed by clinical examination; suspicious lesions should be biopsied when rapid growth, loss of eyelashes or discoloration of the nevus is noted. Eyelid nevi require treatment if malignant transformation and/or cosmetically bothersome to the patient. We report a case of a 37-year-old female patient exhibited a single cutaneous tumor at the free margin of the lower left eyelid, she noticed a dark spot on their eyelid since childhood. It was a brown, fleshy, thickened, and nodular well-circumscribed exophytic mass, measuring 6 mm in diameter; its clinical appearance argued for a possible nodular melanoma. Excisional-biopsy was performed using a full-thickness pentagonal wedge excision technique. Histopathology showed that the lesion was a benign melanocytic nevocellular nevus. The postoperative courses were uneventful with excellent cosmetic and functional result. Preventive measures (cap, sunglasses...) and regular monitoring of the lesion by assessing ABCDE criteria (asymmetry, irregular borders, multiple colors, diameter ≥ 6 mm, and enlargement) remain necessary to detect and rule out a possible risk of malignant melanoma.