Abstract
There are only a paucity of data and information on the prevalence and natural history of nevi on the hands and feet, especially among young children. We examined the prevalence of nevi on four regions of the skin, including the palms, dorsa of hands, soles, and dorsa of feet on children aged 0–6 years old who participated in a cohort study. Fifty-eight of 1,011 children (5.7%) had nevi on the dorsa of their hands, 33 (3.3%) on their soles, 26 (2.5%) on their palms, and 23 (2.3%) on the dorsa of their feet. The prevalence of nevi was highest on the dorsa of the hands, indicating a plausible influence of frequent exposure to ultraviolet rays. The prevalence of nevi increased gradually until the age of 3 years old and then plateaued. Nevi on the soles were likely to be larger than those on other areas, but there werenʼt any statistical differences. There was no correlation between the size of nevi and age. In our cohort study, 89 children had skin examinations in both 2004 and in 2006. Interestingly, 6 out of 11 (54.4%) nevi which had been present in 2004 had disappeared by 2006. Furthermore, 13 of the 78 children who had had no nevi on any of the 4 areas in 2004 had developed new nevi by 2006.
