Labial pigmented lesions include labial melanotic macule, ephelids, lentigo, venous hemangioma, amalgam tattoo, junctional nevus, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Addison's disease, Laugier s disease, and superficial spreading melanoma.

The purpose of this study was aimed at investigating the clinical and histopathological characteristics of labial melanotic macule during the past 10 years.

Clinical information of 49 patients with pigmented lesion of the lips diagnosed in Asan Medical Center from 1989 to 1999 was obtained from the medical records and clinical follow-ups. We re-evaluated all the biopsy specimens obtained from the patients.

Twenty-six patients with labial melanotic macule were enrolled in this study. There were 16 women and 10 men. Age at onset varied from 20 to 65 years in women and from 28 to 68 years in men. The duration of the lesion ranged from 4 months to 12 years (mean, 4.5 years). The majority of patients had solitary lesions on the lower lip. Histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens showed increased pigmentation of the basal layer, mild acanthosis without elongation of rete ridges, and scattered melanophages in the dermis.

We suggest that labial pigmented lesions appearing in adults should be biopsied and labial melanotic macule should be diagnosed after the histopathological examination.