Unilateral Giant Seborrheic Keratosis of the Nipple–Areola Complex in a Young Woman: A Case Report

Seborrheic keratosis is a common benign epidermal tumor that affects individuals of various ages and may arise on both sun-exposed and non-sun-exposed areas. Involvement of the nipple-areola complex is rare and may pose a diagnostic challenge due to its clinical resemblance to malignant or premalignant breast conditions, particularly Paget disease of the breast. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman who presented with a long-standing, progressively enlarging unilateral pigmented verrucous lesion involving the left nipple-areola complex, with onset and marked growth during two consecutive pregnancies. Clinical examination, dermoscopic evaluation, and breast imaging were performed, followed by histopathological analysis, which confirmed the diagnosis of acanthotic, pigmented seborrheic keratosis without evidence of malignancy. Given the benign nature of the lesion and patient preference, conservative management was selected with close dermatologic follow-up. This case highlights the importance of considering seborrheic keratosis in the differential diagnosis of nipple-areola lesions, even in young patients, and underscores the essential role of histopathological examination in establishing an accurate diagnosis and guiding individualized management.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cureus
Published
2026-01-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.101593
Primary Topic
Cancer and Skin Lesions
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Unilateral Giant Seborrheic Keratosis of the Nipple–Areola Complex in a Young Woman: A Case Report

Guadalupe Maldonado-Colín, Lucía Achell Achell-Nava, Cristina Lizbeth Puntos-Guízar, Dolores Maribel Arellano-Vivero
Cureus
Cancer and Skin Lesions
article

Unilateral Giant Seborrheic Keratosis of the Nipple–Areola Complex in a Young Woman: A Case Report

Guadalupe Maldonado-Colín, Lucía Achell Achell-Nava, Cristina Lizbeth Puntos-Guízar, Dolores Maribel Arellano-Vivero
article en

Abstract

Seborrheic keratosis is a common benign epidermal tumor that affects individuals of various ages and may arise on both sun-exposed and non-sun-exposed areas. Involvement of the nipple-areola complex is rare and may pose a diagnostic challenge due to its clinical resemblance to malignant or premalignant breast conditions, particularly Paget disease of the breast. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman who presented with a long-standing, progressively enlarging unilateral pigmented verrucous lesion involving the left nipple-areola complex, with onset and marked growth during two consecutive pregnancies. Clinical examination, dermoscopic evaluation, and breast imaging were performed, followed by histopathological analysis, which confirmed the diagnosis of acanthotic, pigmented seborrheic keratosis without evidence of malignancy. Given the benign nature of the lesion and patient preference, conservative management was selected with close dermatologic follow-up. This case highlights the importance of considering seborrheic keratosis in the differential diagnosis of nipple-areola lesions, even in young patients, and underscores the essential role of histopathological examination in establishing an accurate diagnosis and guiding individualized management.

CureusVol. 18(1)
Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI (MX), Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (MX)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 87%
Cancer and Skin Lesions
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