A benign melanocytic nevus is a cutaneous condition characterised by well-circumscribed, pigmented, round or ovoid lesions, generally measuring from 2 to 6 mm in diameter.

Should the nevi appear in toddler- or school-aged children, they are more likely to remain present throughout the rest of that person's life.

Most melanocytic nevi never evolve into a cancer, with the lifetime risk for an individual nevus being 1 in 3000 for men and 1 in 11 000 for women.

[5] Moreover, dermatologists have a standardized system for determining whether a skin lesion is suspicious for malignant melanoma.

If melanoma is detected and treated early before it spreads in a process called metastasis, it carries a good prognosis.