Superficial Spreading Melanoma (70% of all cases) 

•  Spreads initially across the top layer of skin (epidermis)
• Appears flat or barely raised
• Often with irregular borders and varied color
• Most commonly on men’s trunks, women’s legs and upper back of both sexes

Nodular Melanoma (10%-15% of all melanomas)

•  Grows deeper more quickly than other types
• Found most often on body and neck
• Usually appears as blue-back and dome-shaped
• More common in men than women

Lentigo Maligna Melanoma (5%)

• Develops from an already existing lentigo, not a mole 
• Occurs most often in older adults
• Usually on face and other areas always exposed to the sun
• Generally large, flat, tan-colored with some shades of brown, black, blue, red, gray, or white

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma (<5%)

• Most common melanoma in African Americans or Asians
• Typically appears on palms or soles or under the nails and can be mistaken for a bruise
• Usually tan, brown, or black with variations in color and irregular borders
• A dark streak under the fingernail or toenail may be the only sign

For more on the different types of melanoma click here

What is NOT Melanoma

 Basal-Cell Carcinoma 

• Most common type of skin cancer in fair-skinned people.

• Grows very slowly and very rarely will spread to other parts of the body

• Usually found on face, ears, scalp, neck, or upper body

• Can appear as:

  • a red patch

  • a pink, red, or white bump that is shiny or pearly

  • an open sore that will not heal

  • a scarlike area

Squamous-Cell Carcinoma 

• Second-most-common type of skin cancer in fair-skinned people

• Slow-growing but can spread to other parts of the body

• Twice as common in men as in women

• May appear as a bump or scaly red patch on the face, neck, arms, scalp, ear, lips, or mouth

• Squamous-cell carcinoma of the lips strongly associated with smoking or use of chewing tobacco and spreads much more frequently than other cancer types

Benign Lesions 

• Moles (medical term: nevus or nevi (plural) evenly-colored, even borders, tan or dark brown

• Congenital nevi – present at birth or within first year

• Atypical nevi - moles that are large or have an irregular shape or blurred border; may be pink, brown, or black

• Freckles - small, tan, flat spots caused by chronic or intense sun exposure. The presence of freckles is a marker for the amount of sun damage one has had.

• Lentigines: Called sunspots, age spots, or liver spots; flat brown and do not fade like freckles when not in sun. People with lentigines have had a great deal of sun exposure and are at higher risk for skin cancers.

• Seborrheic keratosis: raised, rough, scaly lesions that are usually light brown to almost black in color. They are caused by an excessive growth of the upper layers of the skin. They do not turn into melanoma. They are usually found on the back, chest, arms, and face.