What should you know about melanoma on feet?

Foot melanoma may appear as an irregular dark patch on the sole, a changing spot between toes, or a dark streak under a nail. Uneven colour, spreading pigment, a widening nail streak, bleeding, cracking, or a lesion that does not behave like a healing injury deserves review. Friction and minor trauma can confuse the picture, but they do not explain every persistent change.

A clinician may examine both feet, the nails, the rest of the skin, and nearby lymph nodes. A biopsy is needed when the lesion is suspicious and confirms whether melanoma is present.

Make a dermatology appointment and record when the mark first appeared or changed. Do not cover a persistent nail streak with polish before assessment, and do not cut or burn a lesion. If melanoma is confirmed, care may include Surgical Excision, Skin Cancer Surgery, or a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy according to the findings. The Melanoma page provides general information.

Seek prompt review for a new or expanding sole lesion, a changing nail streak, bleeding, ulceration, or a sore that fails to heal. Report a new lump in the groin or behind the knee. After diagnosis, urgent help is needed for sudden weakness, confusion, severe headache, or a seizure.

Ask whether the lesion is on the sole, nail unit, or another foot site; whether biopsy is needed; and what the pathology means. Discuss how removal may affect walking, nail growth, wound care, footwear, lymph-node assessment, and surveillance.