What treatment options are available?

Treatment options vary depending on the size and location.

In the case of smaller or easily concealed nevi, the best option may be to just leave it alone.  Smaller nevi appearing, for instance, on the arms or back are easily covered by clothing and, therefore, don’t carry the social stigma that a large or facial nevi does.  In addition, the risk of developing malignant melanoma in a small nevus seems is slight.

Larger nevi (or those located in places that can’t be concealed by clothing) generally have a couple different treatment options.  From our own research and consultations, we’ve found that the most common treatment is surgical excision.  Depending on the size and location, these procedures may require several operations, skin expanders, etc.

Some studies have show that certain cases respond well to laser treatments, but the effectiveness of currently available lasers in the treatment of congenital nevi is disputed.  In addition, most lasers don’t penetrate deep enough to effectively breakup the cells, so there’s a good likelihood that the nevus will reappear unless it is retreated at regular intervals.