What should you know about white melanoma?

Melanoma is a cancer of pigment-producing skin cells. When a lesion produces little pigment, it may appear white, pink, red, or close to your natural skin tone rather than dark brown or black. It can change in size, outline, surface, or sensation, and may stand out because it is new or different from nearby marks. Appearance alone cannot confirm or exclude melanoma; a clinician may use dermoscopy and, when needed, examine a tissue sample.

Arrange a dermatology assessment for a new or changing pale mark, especially if it grows, bleeds, crusts, becomes tender, or looks unlike your other moles. Avoid picking it or trying to remove it at home. A clinician may recommend surgical excision or another biopsy approach so the cells can be examined. If melanoma is confirmed, the care plan can include wider skin cancer surgery, lymph-node assessment, or treatment such as immunotherapy, depending on the findings.

Book an assessment without delaying when a pale lesion changes quickly, develops an irregular edge, repeatedly bleeds, or forms a persistent sore. Seek urgent medical help for heavy bleeding, rapidly increasing swelling, severe pain, or new neurological symptoms. These warning signs do not diagnose melanoma, but they make timely examination more appropriate. Follow-up after cancer treatment may be advised if melanoma is diagnosed.

Ask whether the mark needs dermoscopy or biopsy, which changes you should monitor, and how the result will be explained. If melanoma is found, ask whether lymph-node testing, imaging, surgery, or immunotherapy is relevant to your situation and what follow-up schedule you should expect.