Progressive Fading of Longitudinal Melanonychia due to a Nail Matrix Melanocytic Nevus in a Child

Nail matrix melanocytic nevi are considered rare and only a few histologically proven melanocytic nevi of the nail matrix have been reported in the literature.1-5Most of these cases have occurred in children.1-3,5Clinical evidence that nevoid nail area melanosis in children may spontaneously regress over the years has recently been reported.1However, all these cases lacked pathologic study. We describe the progressive fading of longitudinal melanonychia due to a nail matrix melanocytic nevus in a child. Figure 1.Longitudinal melanonychia of the third right finger in June 1990. Note evident fading of the band in January 1991. Report of a Case. A 1-year-old boy was first referred to our department in June 1990 because of a band of longitudinal melanonychia of the third right fingernail. His parents said that they had first noticed a gradually enlarging pigmented band 4 months before, when the child was 8