I read with great interest the article by Luther and colleagues in a recent issue of the Archives1 reviewing their herculean analysis of the development of melanocytic nevi over time in children. However, the authors presented no information regarding patients' family histories of melanocytic nevi. Although Luther et al looked at predisposing risk factors that may be genetic in origin, eg, hair color and skin color, they did not appear to evaluate what is probably the single most important factor in regard to the development of nevi: the presence of nevi in a parent.
My second concern is whether there is any correlation between the number of nevi at the first visit and the number developed over time. In other words, do children who have greater numbers of nevi in early childhood have a higher risk to develop even proportionately greater numbers over time, or is sun exposure itself