Melanoma: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention
CancerMelanoma

What Is Melanoma?

What Is Melanoma?
Everyday Health
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Updated on February 23, 2026
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Melanoma is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer. It’s typically caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or tanning beds.

When doctors spot melanoma early, it’s often curable. The five-year survival rate for melanoma that hasn’t spread (metastasized) is 97 percent.

But when melanoma goes undiagnosed, it can spread to other parts of the body. This makes it harder to treat, and it carries a higher risk of becoming deadly.

Types of Melanoma

There are several types of skin melanoma, and they differ in key ways — including how common they are, where on your body they tend to develop, and how aggressive they can be. They include:

  • Superficial Spreading Melanoma This is the most common type of melanoma. It typically grows across the top layer of skin and may penetrate deeper, especially on the torso or legs.
  • Lentigo Maligna This type of melanoma moves beyond the original site. It’s most common in older people, especially on the face and ears.
  • Nodular Melanoma This is the most aggressive form of melanoma. It occurs in about 10 to 15 percent of cases and has usually begun to spread to deeper tissue when symptoms start or when it's diagnosed.
  • Acral Lentiginous It generally appears as a dark mark underneath toenails or fingernails, on the sole of the foot, or on the palm of the hand.

Non-Skin Melanomas

Melanomas can develop in any part of your body with melanocytes, a type of cell that creates melanin.

Although very rare, melanoma can also develop in or around your eye. Ocular melanoma doesn’t typically cause symptoms, so it's important to get regular eye exams so a doctor can find it before it impacts your vision.

Mucosal melanoma, which is also rare, can occur in any mucous membrane. That includes nasal passages, your throat, vagina, anus, or mouth.

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Holly Rowe — Skin Spots and Taking a Melanoma Diagnosis Seriously

When sports reporter Holly Rowe was diagnosed with stage 3 desmoplastic melanoma, she learned to take those spots on her skin seriously.

Signs and Symptoms of Melanoma

Melanoma that’s found early, before it has time to spread, is almost always possible to cure.

What’s key is knowing how to distinguish a harmless spot or growth from a potentially harmful one.

Simply put, a malignant spot or growth may just look different than the other ones near it. In a term that bridges storybook and medical lingo, public-health experts call it “an ugly duckling.”

More precisely, a mole may be malignant if it has any of the characteristics in the ABCDE guide:

A) It’s asymmetrical.

B) It has an irregular border.

C) It contains more than one color or is an unusual color.

D) Its diameter is unusually big.

E) It evolves, changing size, color, shape, or another trait.

   Poll

Melanoma In the Eye: Can It Happen?

Causes of and Risk Factors for Melanoma

When melanocytes experience DNA changes, that can lead to cancerous growth. This overgrowth leads to tumors, or melanomas.

It’s not clear exactly what causes melanoma, but experts agree UV light exposure is likely the main cause. This can come from sun exposure or from indoor tanning beds. Genetics may also play an important role.

Other risk factors include:

  • Family history of melanoma
  • One or more severe sunburns
  • More than 50 typical moles
  • One or more atypical moles
  • Weakened immune system

Diagnosing Melanoma

Routine dermatologist exams provide important skin cancer screening tests. If your doctor suspects melanoma, they’ll take a biopsy of the area. This procedure involves removing a small tissue sample for lab testing.

The lab checks the sample under a microscope to confirm if it contains melanoma.

Staging melanoma

Staging melanoma is a complex, vitally important process that both indicates how severe the cancer is and what kinds of treatment could help most.

Doctors define severity along a continuum that begins with stage 0 (zero) and goes up to stage 4. The later the stage, the more advanced the cancer.

While many considerations go into staging melanoma, there are three fundamentals:

  1. Tumor Doctors measure its thickness and determine whether the skin above it has ulcerated, meaning broken down microscopically (a danger sign).
  2. Lymph Nodes The second fundamental involves examining the lymph nodes nearest the tumor to find out whether cancer cells have spread there.
  3. Spread The third requires searching for cancer cells that have spread to more distant sites in the body, such as the lung. These generally have the lowest survival rate.

Treatment Options for Melanoma

Melanoma that's found early, before it has time to spread, is usually easier to treat. More-advanced forms may be more challenging to treat.

Surgery

When melanoma is localized (limited to a certain part of your body), it can typically be cured with wide local excision. This surgery is an in-office or outpatient procedure where your doctor will cut out the affected tissue and a large margin of unaffected tissue around it.

Excision is commonly performed under local anesthesia for smaller melanomas.

If the cancer has spread, both surgery and other therapies may be needed.

Cancer therapies

Metastatic melanoma can be difficult to treat, but there are options. These include:

  • Radiation therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Chemotherapy
Perspectives
Portrait of a person
Holly Rowe
Melanoma Survivor
“One of the interesting things I found through all of this is it’s hard to talk to your family about what you’re scared about because it scares them.”
Transcript Available

Melanoma Prevention

To help prevent melanoma, one of the most impactful things you can do is to avoid getting exposed too much to UV rays.

If you’re outside, shun the sun by wearing a broad-brimmed hat, UV-protective glasses, and garments that cover as much skin as possible. Tightly woven, loose-fitting, and dark or brightly colored clothes are also good UV shields.

Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher for protection, too. Remember to reapply it regularly, and after sweating or swimming.

Also, get an annual skin exam from a dermatologist.

Doing regular self-exams will help familiarize you with all the moles, spots, and other growths on your body. Having this baseline knowledge will make it easier to spot any changes in color, size, shape, or other traits that may indicate cancer.

The Takeaway

  • Melanoma is one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer. Its main cause is likely exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
  • Early diagnosis of melanoma is crucial, as there’s a five-year survival rate of 97% for melanoma that hasn't spread (non-metastatic cases).
  • Localized melanomas can usually be cured by cutting out the tumor in an outpatient setting.
  • Metastatic melanoma treatment typically involves both surgery and another cancer therapy.

FAQ

What is melanoma?
Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer. It develops in skin cells known as melanocytes. In rare cases, melanoma may also occur in the mouth, sinuses, intestines, female genital tract, or eyes.
Common features of a melanoma skin cancer are encompassed by the letters ABCDE: A for asymmetry; B for an irregular border; C for colors like pink, red, white, or black; D for diameters of spots more than 6 millimeters (mm); and E for evolving.
Melanoma can take the form of itchy, crusty, scabbed, or bleeding sores, but it’s often asymptomatic (doesn't cause symptoms).
It's most commonly caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight or tanning beds. There can also be a genetic component or family history of melanoma that may contribute to its development.
When found early, as happens in 4 out of 5 cases, it’s often curable. If it isn’t caught early, it can spread to other parts of the body and become deadly.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Melanoma Overview. The Skin Cancer Foundation. February 2026.
  2. Heistein JB et al. Malignant Melanoma. StatPearls. February 17, 2024.
  3. What Is Ocular Melanoma? American Academy of Ophthalmology. January 13, 2026.
  4. Types of Melanoma. Cancer Treatment Centers of America. May 27, 2022.
  5. Signs and Symptoms of Melanoma Skin Cancer. American Cancer Society. February 25, 2025.
  6. Melanoma Warning Signs. Skin Cancer Foundation. February 2026.
  7. Melanoma. Mayo Clinic. December 30, 2023.
  8. Skin Cancer Prevention. The Skin Cancer Foundation. March 2025.
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Blair Murphy-Rose, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Blair Murphy-Rose, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and the founder of Skincare Junkie. She is an accomplished cosmetic, medical, and surgical dermatologist, specializing in leading-edge facial rejuvenation techniques, including injectable fillers and botulinum toxin injections, advanced laser procedures, noninvasive body contouring, and removing lumps and bumps with precision. She is an expert in the treatment and detection of medical conditions, including skin cancer, acne, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis. Dr. Rose believes in a comprehensive approach to skin health and incorporating a skin-care routine tailored specifically for each individual and utilizing a wide array of tools to target specific skin concerns.

Rose has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dermatology Surgery, and Pediatric Dermatology, and has been featured in numerous publications, including Vogue, Elle, Allure, Cosmopolitan, Self, Women’s Health, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

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Pamela Kaufman

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Pamela Kaufman assigns and edits stories about infectious diseases and general health topics and strategizes on news coverage. She began her journalism career as a junior editor on the health and fitness beat at Vogue, followed by a long stint at Food & Wine, where she rose through the ranks to become executive editor. Kaufman has written for Rutgers University and Fordham Law School and was selected for a 2022 Health Journalism Fellowship from the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Kaufman enjoys going on restaurant adventures, reading novels, making soup in her slow cooker, and hanging out with her dog. She lives in New York City with her husband and two kids.

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