We hope you like our faster and more stable platform. Please tell us if you experience any problems.
DermNet provides Google Translate, a free machine translation service. Note that this may not provide an exact translation in all languages
Home » Topics A–Z » Angulated lines dermoscopy
Author: Naomi Ashman, Dermoscopist, Torbay Skin, Auckland, New Zealand. DermNet NZ Editor in Chief Adjunct A/Prof Amanda Oakley, Dermatologist, Hamilton, New Zealand. June 2019.
In dermoscopy, angulated lines are straight lines that meet at angles larger than 90 degrees but do not intersect. They may form complete or partial polygonal shapes. They are also known as polygons, rhomboids and zigzag pattern. They are a dermoscopic clue to melanoma.
Angulated lines are grey-brown lines that are connected at an angle, or coalescing to form polygons.
Angulated lines
Angulated lines are seen in the following skin lesions:
On the face, angulated lines correspond to rhomboids and are also represented in:
Dermoscopic angulated lines
The precise histology is not clear but likely correlates with an accumulation of inflammatory cells and melanophages in the dermis, underneath the malignant melanocytes residing in the epidermis.
Angulated lines seem to correspond to a flattened dermoepidermal junction (DEJ) with fewer and blunter rete pegs due to a proliferation of atypical melanocytes at the DEJ, as well as a focal accumulation of melanophages in the superficial dermis [1].
See smartphone apps to check your skin.
[Sponsored content]
© 2019 DermNet New Zealand Trust.
DermNet NZ does not provide an online consultation service. If you have any concerns with your skin or its treatment, see a dermatologist for advice.