Hairpin blood vessels

A 52-year-old man consulted for this inguinal exophytic pigmented tumour.


Dermoscopy revealed fissures and ridges (black rectangle) and a vascular pattern with many hairpin blood vessels (red rectangle).

Pictures taken with Fotofinder dermoscope

Hairpin blood vessels and fissures and ridges were in favor of a seborrheic keratosis.

Hairpin blood vessels are quite typical of seborrheic keratoses (particularly if there is a white halo surrounding them) but are non specific and can be found also in:

• melanocytic nevi
• keratoacanthomas
• basal cell carcinomas
• melanomas (often thick and irregular)