Nevus marginatus: a distinct type of epidermal nevus or merely a variant of nevus sebaceus?

Epidermal nevi (EN) represent a heterogeneous group of mosaic skin lesions frequently following the lines of Blaschko. They are divided into organoid and nonorganoid types. Herein we report on a 35-year-old man with a rather unusual type of EN. A linear lesion involving the trunk and following Blaschko's lines was conspicuously bordered by dark brown papules. The flat reddish central area histopathologically showed sebaceous hyperplasia consistent with nevus sebaceus, an organoid EN type, whereas the elevated margin showed features of a common nonorganoid keratinocytic EN. For this peculiar disorder, we propose the term 'nevus marginatus'. So far it is not clear whether nevus marginatus represents a distinct entity or merely an unusual clinical variant of nevus sebaceus. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.