Can Melanomas Be Flat?
Melanomas can be of any shape and size, dark or light coloured. The majority of them are flat and dark in colour.
Most melanomas are flat and dark
This is a common question that I am asked during skin consultations. My patients are frequently worried about a raised mole. This may have been present for a long time. If the mole has recently risen it needs to be checked out. Sometimes they are irritated by rubbing on clothes or being pulled from the base. They may get inflamed or infected which makes them to swell and be sore. If you have a changing mole that is bleeding, crusty or sore, or changing in any shape or from it needs to be checked with a dermoscope by a experienced skin cancer doctor.
Some melanomas can be raised and not dark
The most common melanomas I see are early which are flat. Universally they are darkly pigmented flat moles. They may have two or three shades to them. If a dark mole is new, irregular in shape and colour and changing, you need to get that checked now. The exception to this rule is the nodular melanoma which is raised and dome shaped. If you have a new fleshy mole that is red in colour and elevated it needs to be checked as it would be rare variation of amelanotic (not dark) melanoma.