Abstract

BILEMJIAN, Aline Perdiz de Jesus; PINEIRO-MACEIRA, Juan; BARCAUI, Carlos Baptista  and  PEREIRA, Francisco Burnier. Melanonychia: the importance of dermatoscopic examination and of nail matrix / bed observation. An. Bras. Dermatol. [online]. 2009, vol.84, n.2, pp. 185-189. ISSN 1806-4841.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962009000200013.

Melanonychia, from the Greek mélaina, means black and is the result of an increased deposition of melanin on the nail plate, originating in the nail matrix. It may have different causes, including subungueal melanoma, making early etiologic diagnosis very important.

Keywords : Biopsy; Lentigo; Melanoma; Nail.