SKIN OF COLOUR
Quick Facts
- Melanoma can occur in skin of colour individuals.
- Acral Lentiginous Melanoma (ALM) is the most common type of melanoma found in people with skin of colour. This would mainly include people with Fitzpatrick skin types 5 and 6.[i] See Table below.
- ALM usually occurs in the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. It can also occur under the nail; this is known as Subungual Melanoma (SM)[ii]
- ALM and SM can affect people of all skin types. In patients with lighter skin types it makes up a smaller percentage of melanoma while in darker skin types, it makes up a majority of cases of melanoma [iii]
- ALM often looks like a bruise or stain mark that won’t heal. SM usually looks like a dark vertical stripe on the nail.[iv]
- For ALM and SM, skin self-exams are an effective strategy for early detection [v]
- The ABCDE technique is commonly used to identify signs and symptoms of melanoma but [vi] when it comes to identifying ALM and SM different techniques are used. See detection below.