Skin cancer can look like a pearly bump, a scaly red patch, a dark streak under a nail, or a mole that’s changed shape or color. Because it takes several different forms depending on the type, there’s no single appearance to watch for. Knowing what each type looks like gives you the best chance of catching it early.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer, and it often looks surprisingly subtle. On lighter skin, it typically appears as a slightly transparent, skin-colored or pink bump with a pearly sheen. You might notice tiny blood vessels running across its surface. On brown and Black skin, it tends to look brown or glossy black with a rolled, raised border.
Not all basal cell carcinomas look like bumps, though. Some show up as a flat, scaly patch that slowly grows larger over time. Others resemble a white, waxy, scar-like area with no clear edge. One hallmark across all forms: a sore that bleeds, scabs over, and then returns. If you have a spot that keeps cycling through healing and reopening, that pattern alone is worth getting checked.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma tends to look rougher and more textured than basal cell. It commonly appears as a flat sore topped with a scaly, crusty surface, or as a firm, raised bump with a wart-like texture. On the lip, it may start as a rough, scaly patch that eventually breaks open into a persistent sore. These growths often develop on areas that get the most sun: the face, ears, neck, hands, and forearms.
Melanoma and the ABCDE Rule
Melanoma is less common than basal or squamous cell carcinoma but far more dangerous if it spreads. It usually develops in or near an existing mole, and the National Cancer Institute’s ABCDE rule is the standard way to spot suspicious changes:
- Asymmetry: One half of the mole doesn’t match the other.
- Border: The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred, and pigment may spread into the surrounding skin.
- Color: Instead of a single uniform shade, you see a mix of brown, black, tan, white, gray, red, pink, or blue.
- Diameter: Most melanomas are larger than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser), though they can be smaller in early stages.
- Evolving: The mole has visibly changed in size, shape, or color over recent weeks or months.
The “E” may be the most important letter on that list. Any mole that is actively changing deserves attention, even if it doesn’t check every other box. Melanomas can also appear as an entirely new spot rather than a changing old one, so keep an eye out for dark marks that seem to come from nowhere.
What Skin Cancer Looks Like on Darker Skin
Skin cancer in people with darker skin tones often shows up in places that get little or no sun. The most common form of melanoma in people with dark skin is acral lentiginous melanoma, which develops on the palms, soles of the feet, fingers, toes, and nail beds. On a palm or sole, it can look like a dark, irregularly shaped patch. Under a nail, it appears as a dark vertical streak running from the base of the nail to the tip, almost as if drawn with a brown or black marker.
These nail streaks, called subungual melanoma, typically start narrow (under 3 millimeters wide) but widen over time, often expanding first at the base of the nail. Lines that grow wider, darken, or multiply should be evaluated. Basal cell carcinoma on brown and Black skin can also be tricky to recognize because its glossy, dark appearance may be mistaken for a normal mole or age spot.
Precancerous Spots: Actinic Keratosis
Not every worrisome spot is cancer yet. Actinic keratoses are rough, scaly patches caused by years of sun exposure, and they can eventually develop into squamous cell carcinoma if left alone. They feel like sandpaper and often show up on the scalp, face, ears, lips, arms, and backs of the hands. Color varies: they can be pink, red, brown, or gray, and are usually darker than the skin around them.
Some people mistake them for a pimple or a scab that won’t heal. The texture is the giveaway. If you run your fingers over a rough patch and it doesn’t smooth out or go away within a few weeks, it could be an actinic keratosis.
Skin Cancer in Hidden Areas
Skin cancer doesn’t only grow on sun-exposed skin. Mucosal melanoma can develop inside the mouth, nasal passages, anal or rectal area, and genital region. These cancers aren’t visible in a mirror, so symptoms tend to be the first clue.
In the mouth, watch for a lump on the tongue that won’t go away or a sore that doesn’t heal. In the nasal passages, repeated nosebleeds from one nostril or a constant feeling of something being stuck in your nose can signal a problem. Anorectal melanoma may cause a lump, bleeding, or persistent pain around the anus. Vulvovaginal melanoma can cause unusual bleeding between periods or after menopause, along with a growth or persistent itching that doesn’t respond to treatment.
Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma is rare but aggressive. It appears as a firm, painless bump on the skin that grows noticeably fast, often over just a few weeks. The bump can be pink, purple, red-brown, or match the surrounding skin tone. Its two sides typically don’t match (asymmetrical). Because it grows and spreads quickly, any new bump that seems to enlarge rapidly warrants prompt evaluation, especially on sun-exposed areas of the face, head, or neck.
Patterns Worth Watching
Across all types, a few themes stand out. Skin cancer rarely hurts in its early stages, so waiting for pain is not a reliable strategy. The most useful warning signs are visual: a spot that looks different from everything else on your skin, a sore that won’t stay healed, a mole that’s changing, or a new growth that’s firm and persistent. Checking your own skin regularly, including your scalp, the soles of your feet, between your toes, and under your nails, is the simplest way to catch something early when treatment is most straightforward.