Surprising Places You Can Get Melanoma (That Have Nothing to Do With a Sunburn)

When most people think about melanoma, they picture a suspicious mole on a shoulder, a back, or some other spot that has spent years soaking up the sun. And that mental image is not wrong. Sun exposure is a major driver of skin cancer. But here is the part that catches a lot of people off guard: melanoma does not only show up where the sun shines. It can appear in places you would never think to check, including a few that never see daylight at all.

That gap in awareness matters. Melanoma is highly treatable when it is caught early, but the survival odds drop sharply the longer it goes unnoticed. And the sneakiest melanomas tend to hide in the exact spots we forget to look. So let's walk through some of the surprising places melanoma can develop, why they get missed, and what you can do about it.

The soles of your feet and the palms of your hands

One of the more unexpected forms of melanoma is called acral lentiginous melanoma, and it shows up on the palms, the soles of the feet, and under the nails. What makes it especially surprising is that it is not thought to be caused by sun exposure at all. It develops in areas that rarely, if ever, see the sun.

Because of that, a lot of people assume these areas are "safe" and never bother to check them. A dark spot on the bottom of your foot is easy to write off as a bruise, a callus, or a bit of dirt. But acral melanoma deserves attention, especially since it is the most commonly diagnosed melanoma in people with black or darker skin tones, a group that is often told, incorrectly, that they do not need to worry about skin cancer.

The takeaway here is simple. When you check your skin, flip your hands over and take a good look at your palms and the soles of your feet.

Underneath your fingernails and toenails

A subtype of acral melanoma, called subungual melanoma, grows underneath the nail. It often looks like a dark stripe or band running vertically along the nail, and it is easy to mistake for a bruise from stubbing your toe or catching your finger in a door.

The tricky part is that a normal bruise grows out with the nail over a few weeks, while a melanoma stripe tends to stick around, widen, or darken over time. If you notice a new pigmented band under a nail that is not moving out or that keeps changing, that is worth having a professional look at rather than waiting it out.

Your scalp

Your scalp is a genuine blind spot, both literally and figuratively. It gets sun exposure whenever you are outdoors, particularly if your hair is thin or you part it in the same place every day, but it is nearly impossible to examine on your own. Hair hides a lot, and most of us simply never look.

Scalp melanomas can be more dangerous precisely because they are found late. A good habit is to ask your hairstylist or barber to mention anything unusual they notice while working, and to have your scalp checked during a professional skin exam.

Inside your eyes

Yes, you can get melanoma in your eye. Ocular melanoma is rare, occurring in roughly five out of every million adults, but it is the most common primary cancer of the eye in adults. It usually develops in the middle layer of the eye, beneath the white part, where you would never spot it in a mirror.

Early on, it often causes no symptoms at all, which is one more reason routine eye exams matter. Sometimes it is first detected by an eye doctor during a standard checkup, long before the person notices anything is wrong. If you experience changes like blurred vision, a growing dark spot on the colored part of your eye, or flashes and floaters, it is worth getting checked.

The moist linings inside your body

Melanoma can also form in mucosal tissue, the soft, moist lining found in places like the mouth, the nose, the throat, and other internal areas. This type, called mucosal melanoma, is uncommon and accounts for only a small percentage of all melanomas, but it is important to know about because it hides so well.

In the mouth, it can show up as a dark, asymmetrical patch on the gums or palate. In the nose, early signs are easy to confuse with everyday issues, such as one-sided congestion or recurring nosebleeds. Because these areas are hard to see and the symptoms mimic more common problems, mucosal melanoma is often found at a later stage. This is a good reason not to ignore persistent, unexplained changes in your mouth or nose, and to mention them to your dentist or doctor.

Why this all matters, and why Melanoma matters

The common thread through every one of these spots is visibility. Melanoma is far easier to treat when it is caught early, and the areas that get missed are the ones we cannot easily see or simply do not think to check. A sunburned shoulder gets noticed. The bottom of a foot, the base of a nail, or the skin hidden under your hair does not.

That is exactly why professional skin checks are so valuable. A dermatologist is trained to examine the places you cannot reach or see, to tell the difference between a harmless freckle and something that needs a closer look, and to catch changes early when they are most treatable. Between visits, a simple monthly habit of checking your own skin, including the surprising spots, goes a long way.

Give yourself peace of mind

If you have a spot that has changed, a nail stripe that will not grow out, or an area you have simply never had looked at, do not wait and wonder. A professional skin exam is quick, thorough, and one of the easiest ways to protect your health.

Call our dermatology practice at (520) 382-3330 or press "Book Now" to schedule your skin check today. Your future self will thank you.

Happy Skin, Happy Life!