To Biopsy or Not to Biopsy Changing Moles in Children and Adolescents: Are We Removing Too Many Pigmented Nevi in This Age Group?Comment on “Variables Predicting Change in Benign Melanocytic Nevi Undergoing Short-term Dermoscopic Imaging”

Most dermatologists evaluate children and adolescents who have changing moles. Moreover, most of those patients are evaluated by general rather than pediatric dermatologists. Yet, Menzies et al¹ show that the percentage of innocent moles that change, as seen via short-term sequential dermoscopic imaging, is dramatically greater in children and adolescents compared with middle-aged adults, and these changes are more likely to be innocent in the former group than in the latter. As a consequence, using change as a criterion for excising pigmented nevi results in many unnecessary procedures in children and adolescents.