Cutaneous Vascular Anomalies – Nevus Anemicus

Nevus Anemicus is a benign cutaneous vascular anomaly that I encounter in both my The Woodlands dermatology and Conroe dermatology offices.  Nevus Anemicus begins at birth and is an area of skin that is paler than the surrounding skin.  It usually has an irregular shape and is rather well defined.  When the areas of skin surrounding it become flushed, the Nevus Anemicus becomes more apparent.  It may be mistaken as vitiligo but Nevus Anemicus has a normal amount of melanin.  The etiology of Nevus Anemicus is that the blood vessels in this area are very sensitive to the circulating catecholamines.  There is no treatment for Nevus Anemicus.