Introduction: Inflammatory skin lesions constitute a significant proportion of dermatological presentations, yet their demographic and clinicopathological patterns remain underreported in many African settings. This study aimed to describe the distribution of inflammatory lesions by age, sex, procedure type, and anatomical site in a Nigerian cohort.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of 672 histologically confirmed inflammatory skin lesions was conducted. Data on age group, sex, biopsy procedure, and anatomical site were extracted and analysed descriptively. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were performed to assess whether cases were evenly distributed across categories within each variable.
Results: The majority of lesions occurred in patients aged 30–49 years (25.1%), followed by adults of unspecified age (21.6%) and those aged 10–29 years (20.8%). Females accounted for 57.4% of cases, compared with 38.4% in males, yielding a female-to-male ratio of approximately 1.5:1. Shave biopsy was the most frequently performed procedure (35.4%), followed by tissue sampling (27.4%) and punch biopsy (22.9%). The lower limb was the most commonly affected site (27.1%), followed by the upper limb (20.8%), with the limbs combined accounting for nearly half of all cases (47.9%). All four distributions differed significantly from a uniform distribution (p < .001). Conclusion: Inflammatory skin lesions in this cohort predominantly affected adults of working age, with a clear female preponderance and limb-dominant anatomical distribution. Shave biopsy remains the preferred diagnostic technique, reflecting its cost-effectiveness and practicality in resource-limited settings. These findings reinforce existing African dermatopathology literature and highlight the need for accessible, targeted dermatological services, particularly for female and limb-affected patients.