How common are benign subungual naevi

: The differentiation of subungual haematoma from benign and malignant nevoid lesions is a common clinical problem. To determine the incidence of benign subungual naevi in the general population, the digits of the hands and feet of 1000 white patients were examined. These were consecutive patients presenting to hospital for problems unrelated to the finger or toe-nail. Eight patients were found to have pigmented subungual lesions. All proved to be haematoma, although there was no history of injury. Benign subungual naevi are rare in caucasians, so subungual nevoid lesions should be regarded as malignant until proved otherwise.