Counts of common and atypical melanocytic nevi in Korean young men: assessment of their risks and correlations with associated factors.

Two hundred and thirty-five Korean young men were examined for the count of melanocytic nevi (MN). The mean count of common MN of at least 2 mm diameter was 16.1. Three subjects had more than 50 common MN and another four had clinically atypical MN. We determined skin phototype by interview with questionnaires in the same persons as proposed by Fitzpatrick. All subjects were classified with respect to skin phototype and the number of previous sunburns. The correlations between common MN and the skin phototype or the number of previous sunburns were statistically analyzed. The skin phototype showed the correlation with the number of common MN, which means if skin phototype of any subject belongs to type I, he could to be predicted to have many more common MN than subjects with darker phototypes, like type VI. The correlation between number of previous sunburns and number of common MN was not statistically significant. This study shows persons at moderate risk of cutaneous melanoma (CM) do exist and skin phototype is associated with the prevalence of common MN in Koreans.