Introduction: Melanocytic lesions show great morphological diversity in their architecture and the cytomorphological appearance of their composite cells. Histological assessment of these lesions constitutes a substantial proportion of a dermatopathologist’s daily workload. The aim of our study was to observe the histological spectrum and types of benign melanocytic nevi and metanoma and also to look for any atypical histological features in these nevi. 

Material and Methods: A total of 70 cases of melanocytic lesions were studied retrospectively over a four year period. Skin biopsies with a primary clinical diagnosis of nevus/mole/? melanoma were received in 10% buffered formalin, processed routinely for paraffin sections and stained by Haematorxylin and Eosin stain. The histological features were observed and relevant data was recorded and analysed by frequency, percentage and chi square test.

Results: The ratio of benign melenoytic nevi to melanoma was 4:1. The most common benign nevus was intradermal nerus (66%) and the most common type of melanoma was of acrallentiginous type (65%). Occurrence of these melanocytic lesions was not significantly related to gender as chi square=0.130, p=0.719>0.05 but was higlly associated with age in our study as Fisher’s exact test was p=0.000<0.01. 

Conclusion: Melanocytic lesions of the skin are of notorious challenge for the pathologist.It is important to excise any pigmented lesion as they may transform into malignancy. Optimal assessment of these lesions is important as the pathology report provides the clinician with information about the histogenic nature of the lesion as well as its potential for aggressive biological behavior which facilitates optimal management decisions. 

Keywords: Melanocytic lesions; Benign nevi; Intradermal nevus; Melanoma.