Patchy Areolar Hyperpigmentation 6 Years After Augmentation Mastopexy: A Case Report

A 42-year-old primigravida woman of 20 weeks gestation was referred to the authors for the treatment of a suspected malignant melanoma of her left areola. She had undergone bilateral augmentation mammoplasty with periareolar mastopexy elsewhere 6 years previously. Her history included partial necrosis of her left areola in the immediate postoperative period that required a long time to heal and had resulted in partial areolar depigmentation. Her left areola had a few patches of hyperpigmentation at her presentation to the authors. Specimens removed from eight involved areas showed a tissue diagnosis of benign areolar melanosis. The hyperpigmentation completely disappeared after delivery. This case is reported because of its rarity as well as its nonmalignant and self-resolving nature. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors <ExternalRef> <RefSource>www.springer.com/00266</RefSource> <RefTarget Address="http://www.springer.com/00266" TargetType="URL"/> </ExternalRef>.