Becker's nevus is a benign neoplasm that forms in the upper epithelial layer of the skin of the human body. The cells of Becker's nevus are always richly saturated with dark brown pigment and are also covered with hair. In medicine, excessive hairiness of a certain area of the skin is called hypertrichosis. Becker's nevus can be congenital in origin, or formed at a certain stage of a person's life. Most often, epithelial formations of this type appear in boys and girls entering the phase of puberty, when hormonal surges in the body affect changes in the cellular structure of the skin.
What does the diagnosis of Becker's nevus mean?
Becker's nevus is called differently in various medical literature: Becker's melanosis, hairy nevus or Becker-Reiter syndrome.
Such a growth is a spotty formation on a certain area of the body with strong skin pigmentation. Often accompanied by heavy hair growth.
This melanosis is characterized by a brown spot. Around this spot, small daughter spots may form, which after a certain time will connect with the main one and thereby increase it in size.
Nevus pilaris mainly forms in people between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Moreover, the male sex is more susceptible to such pigmentation than the female sex. In addition, in women, pilar melanosis usually occurs in combination with other pathologies.
Is it possible to use traditional methods
Such treatment of Becker melanosis can be started only after an accurate diagnosis has been made. Natural products that have whitening properties are used:
- lemon juice;
- fresh parsley;
- ash of pine nuts or eggshells;
- mulberry tree (root);
- cucumber extract;
- bearberry extract.
Some of these drugs have a direct effect on the nevus, while others have an indirect effect. To achieve the effect, you need to use traditional methods regularly and for a long time.
Appearance of pigmentation
The Becker nevus spot has an irregular shape and often appears on the forearms, back, legs and chest area. In rare cases, hairy pigmentation forms on the neck, face and pelvic area.
Nevus spots are one-sided and are located along lines of skin tension, which are called Langer's lines.
Due to the formation of new spots around the main focus, it takes on the appearance of a geographical outline. The maximum diameter of the neoplasm reaches 20 centimeters. Moreover, regardless of its location, its edges have a jagged, irregular shape.
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During puberty, the pigment spot begins to become covered with thick, dark-colored hair, and the skin becomes wrinkled and thickened towards the center of the growth. There are cases when the hair extends beyond the boundaries of melanosis, or, conversely, does not cover certain areas of pigmentation.
During palpation, melanosis is practically not palpable, but it is clearly visible in side light. In some cases, neoplasms may resemble papules, acne, cystic growths and pustules.
Is it possible to get rid of hair on the surface of a nevus?
Hair removal from the surface of a nevus should only be performed by a qualified oncologist surgeon. For this purpose, a laser or chemical compounds can be used. You should not remove vegetation in the area of the tumor - since the skin is very dense in this area, healing can take quite a long time. And this can cause infection in the wound.
Becker's nevus does not pose any danger to its owner. However, if such a neoplasm is present, it is necessary to visit a doctor for diagnosis and confirmation of the diagnosis.
What causes pigment growth
Scientists still cannot establish clear reasons for the occurrence of this pathology, since in most cases their opinions differ. However, there are main factors that, according to the same scientists, may favor the manifestation of pigmented nevus.
Excessive sun tanning
Tanning refers to a unique physiological phenomenon of the body that can protect it from excessive penetration of ultraviolet radiation.
However, it is worth considering that excessive tanning can cause certain harm to the skin, including the formation of a Becker nevus.
Skin damage
Skin injuries include cuts, abrasions and bruises. As a result of these injuries, open wounds form on the human body, which are practically not protected from the effects of harmful factors.
It turns out that various harmful microbes and viruses settle on the injured area of the body, after healing of which hairy pigmentation can form.
Nervous strain
In a person who is constantly under nervous tension, cell deformation occurs, which, in turn, causes the formation of nevus spots. This parameter includes stressful situations, depression and other disorders of the central nervous system.
Heredity
Often, carriers of pigment spots with hairline are people whose blood relatives suffered from various skin diseases.
It is also worth knowing that any so-called birthmark can at any time become the cause of a neoplasm called Becker’s nevus.
Stages of development
Like all other skin formations, a hair nevus never appears suddenly. Its formation is a gradual and rather lengthy process , which takes place in the following stages:
- Accumulation of melanin. Skin cells in a certain area begin to gradually accumulate excess amounts of this dye, thereby creating the first prerequisites for the development of melanosis. At this stage, the first contours of the neoplasm are outlined. They are still barely noticeable - the affected area of the epithelium darkens a little and acquires a brown tint, excess hair growth and structure changes are not observed.
- Growth of lesions. The spot continues to actively fill with pigment, growing in circumference. The patient’s hormonal background changes at this stage of the disease, which only contributes to the growth of the tumor. The cells are saturated with testosterone, and its excess occurs.
- Outline of borders. The spot stops growing in width, forming clearly formed contours. They usually have an oval shape with irregular borders. After this stage is completed, the neoplasm begins to change structure and thicken, but no longer grows into new areas of healthy epithelium.
- Thickening of the top layer of skin. Tissues saturated with melanin grow, so the surface of the nevus becomes dense and uneven. As the spot grows, it begins to thicken more and more against the background of healthy skin. At this stage of development of the neoplasm, a person may experience complications in the form of other skin diseases - acne, ulcers or long-healing wounds. They are caused by the accumulation of bacteria and viruses on the affected tissues, combined with a decrease in the skin's ability to regenerate.
- Covering with hair. Their growth begins from the edges and gradually spreads over the entire surface of the spot to the center. This process happens quite quickly. Excess testosterone makes hair thick and coarse. When the entire surface of the spot becomes covered with hard bristles, the formation of a benign skin tumor can be considered complete.
The development of a nevus takes on average one to two years. After completing the last stage, it either stops growing or slows down its development so much that it becomes invisible.
Possible reasons for the transformation of a nevus into cancer
The appearance of Becker's melanosis on the surface of the skin is a definite risk of its degeneration into a malignant tumor (melanoma).
The transformation of benign cells into cancer cells mainly occurs in the presence of predisposing factors.
Injuries
It is considered the most common cause of hair nevus degeneration into cancer. Therefore, you need to be especially careful about those spots that are located on more traumatic areas of the body (collar area, cuff or belt), when the tumor is subject to constant friction.
Melanosis can also be damaged by performing hygiene procedures (shaving or bathing with a washcloth). These mechanical injuries are dangerous because a person usually does not notice how he injured himself.
However, if it was discovered that the nevus was damaged during certain actions, it is necessary to treat it with a disinfectant. Then cover the affected area with a sterile bandage or plaster and consult a doctor to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
Insolation
In this case, to avoid cancerous tumors, it is recommended to hide melanosis spots from direct sunlight. This is especially true during summer solar activity.
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If it is impossible to hide the birthmark, it is necessary to monitor its possible changes, if they occur, you should immediately consult a doctor.
In addition to the main factors in transforming a nevus from a benign pigment spot to a malignant one, there are also indirect reasons, which include:
- weak immunity;
- hormonal imbalance in the body;
- infectious diseases;
- nevi larger than 2 centimeters;
- more than 20 spots on the body of one person.
Is it possible to pluck?
Moles can be located absolutely anywhere, and if hair grows from them, this can become a serious cosmetic flaw. In particular, a hairy nevus on the face is very eye-catching, and neither girls nor boys want to put up with it. But cosmetologists warn that you should not pull out hairs from a mole. It is better not to disturb or tug at the nevus, so as not to provoke its malignancy. After all, as you know, constant trauma to a mole can trigger the development of cancer. Therefore, you definitely shouldn’t pull out hair with tweezers or remove it with an epilator. Also, cosmetologists do not recommend tearing out unwanted vegetation on nevi using wax strips, sugar paste and other similar methods.
Diagnostics
This disease is diagnosed by clinical symptoms. In case of mild symptoms, the doctor refers the patient for a histological examination, which involves a detailed analysis of the affected area of the skin. With the help of such diagnostics, the exact composition of the skin tissue is determined.
In addition, a biopsy taken can promptly identify complications of hairy nevus such as acanthosis, horny cyst and hyperkeratosis. It is worth considering that without timely diagnosis and treatment, these complications will sooner or later lead to skin cancer (melanoma).
Also, Becker's nevus has an external resemblance to other more dangerous diseases. In this case, to detect it, it is necessary to compare the existing symptoms of two diseases. If any doubt arises, additional laboratory tests are required.
Diagnostic measures
Usually, Becker's nevus can be easily distinguished from other pathologies due to hypertrichosis and its large size, but in certain cases, diagnosis is difficult due to its similarity to other types of moles. For example, a skin neoplasm of Becker-Reitar in the initial stages can be confused with a giant melanocytic nevus, but this type is most often congenital. Similar symptoms are also observed during the onset of nevus of Ota and Albright-McCune-Steinberg syndrome.
A more accurate diagnosis can be made by an experienced oncologist or dermatologist during a consultation, during which the doctor will conduct an initial examination and determine clinical symptoms based on an oral interview. If the doctor has doubts, he may prescribe hardware examination methods - skiascopy and dermatoscopy. In the latter case, the study is carried out using a device that magnifies the spot many times and makes it possible to examine the deeper layers of the skin.
During skiascopy, the area is viewed using a special scanner, which allows you to study the developmental features and structure of the nevus. If even after this the diagnosis is not established, then as a last resort a biopsy is prescribed - collection of tumor material for further laboratory examination.
Treatment options
The initial stage of nevus pigmentation does not cause harm to human health, with the exception of psychological discomfort. Therefore, exclusively cosmetic procedures are used to treat such formations.
Such actions are aimed at removing the top layer of the affected area of skin using certain equipment and special chemicals. It is also worth considering that the smaller the tumor, the greater the chance of its complete and irreversible removal.
Laser treatment method
This method involves the use of a laser pulse, which gently affects the human body. But when carrying out laser-pulse procedures, the cosmetologist must have certain skills and be highly professional. Since incorrect use of this method often leads to increased pigmentation or burns.
Microdermabrasion
This procedure is a mechanical impact on the stain using a microcrystalline flow. This micro-operation is performed under local anesthesia.
The recovery rate after such procedures is very high. Moreover, after removing nevus spots, the surface of the skin is completely renewed.
Peeling
Helps lighten hairy melanosis. It is carried out using fruit or lactic acids, as well as glycolic agents.
First, acid is applied to the affected area of the skin, which is removed after 10 minutes, and its place is lubricated with a neutralizing agent. Afterwards, all products are washed off with running water, and a moisturizer is applied to the stain.
In this case, you should not choose cheap beauty salons, since removing age spots requires a professional medical approach, which is provided only in specialized clinics.
Light therapy or phototherapy
This therapy involves getting rid of Becker's nevus using intense pulsed light. Namely, pigmentation, when such light hits it, absorbs it, after which it darkens and after a while completely disappears.
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The course of light therapy varies from one month to six months. In addition to getting rid of hair growths, this method helps rejuvenate the skin tissue.
However, when undergoing phototherapy, the patient is strictly prohibited from being exposed to sunlight, since exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the body can reduce the entire course of treatment to zero.
Whitening
Helps reduce melanin in affected areas of the body. This method includes exfoliating actions, which are carried out in conjunction with the use of anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants.
When undergoing whitening procedures, the patient must be protected from “UV radiation”, which is carried out using special filters.
It is worth considering that the above treatment methods cannot always completely remove Becker’s nevus. Then you need to try complex treatments, including two or more methods or surgical intervention.
To avoid complications and the development of concomitant diseases, independent treatment is not recommended.
Complications
The only and at the same time the most dangerous complication of Becker's nevus is considered to be its degeneration into a malignant tumor. In this case, the patch of melanosis pilaris transforms into melanoma (skin cancer), which, if not diagnosed in time, becomes practically incurable and often leads to the death of the patient.
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Associated complications when a benign spot degenerates into a malignant tumor are:
- acute pain in the affected area;
- severe itching;
- formation of tuberosity;
- constant or periodic bleeding occurs;
- increase in the size of the birthmark.
The initial stages of nevus complications pass without symptoms, so they are quite difficult to identify on your own. Therefore, regardless of age, patients with age spots are recommended to regularly visit a doctor and undergo laboratory tests.
