Benign squamous and melanocytic tumors

Benign tumors of the eyelid include a variety of nonpigmented and pigmented epidermal tumors (arising from squamous or melanocytic cells), adnexal tumors (Chap. 4), and stromal tumors (Chap. 5). Important to note is that not all clinically pigmented lesions are melanocytic, since squamous cells can pick up melanin pigment, thus giving a pigmented appearance to a lesion. The benign epidermal tumors of the eyelid are similar to those observed in the other sun-exposed areas of the skin, but they may also include conjunctival tumors as well. Some of these tumors represent manifestations of systemic disease (Chap. 12). A classification of the epidermal eyelid tumors is presented in Table 3.1. Only the description of the most common and frequently observed benign tumors, along with their corresponding premalignant lesions and tumorlike nonneoplastic lesions are included in this chapter.