Tattoo, Amalgam, Tattoo - DermAtlas - Dermatology Image Atlas

Contributor

Greg Hosler, MD, PhD

Diagnosis

tattoo, amalgam tattoo

Body Site

mouth, floor of

Age

59 years

Pigmentation

light

Organization

discrete

Color

black

Morphology

macular / flat (macule / patch)

Pattern

solitary

Comments

This 59 year old woman had a pigmented lesion biopsied from the floor of her mouth to rule out melanoma. This is a common scenario for amalgam tattoos. These lesions develop when metals from dental work leach into the soft tissues. Common metals implicated are silver, mercury, aluminum, etc. On histology, the pigment may be black, brown, or golden. The main differential diagnosis is a melanocytic lesion, like a blue nevus, but the tattoo pigment is acellular and often accentuated on elastic fibers.

Description

The mucosa appears normal. In the submucosa, there is an ill-defined hyperpigmented area.

Image Added

5/6/2009 22:00:50

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Other Resources

PubMed Medline Plus Medscape

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