Skin cancer can look like a shiny pink bump, a scaly patch that won’t heal, a changing mole, or even a dark streak under your nail. There’s no single appearance, because different types of skin cancer look very different from each other. Knowing what to watch for on each type makes it much easier to spot something early, when treatment is simplest.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer, and it often looks surprisingly subtle. On lighter skin, the classic sign is a firm, raised, round bump with a shiny or pearly surface, usually pink or red. Some basal cell carcinomas develop a dip or crater in the center that can scab over and bleed repeatedly. That cycle of scabbing and bleeding without fully healing is a key warning sign.
On darker skin tones, basal cell carcinoma can appear as a brown, glossy black, or tan bump with a rolled border. Because it doesn’t always look pink or red on darker skin, it’s easy to mistake for a harmless bump. Regardless of skin tone, these growths tend to appear on sun-exposed areas like the face, ears, and neck. They grow slowly, sometimes over months or years, but they can cause significant tissue damage if left untreated.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma tends to look rougher and more textured than basal cell. Common appearances include a flat sore with a scaly crust, a firm bump or nodule, or a raised wart-like growth. On the lips, it often starts as a rough, scaly patch that may eventually break open into a sore. It can also appear inside the mouth as a sore or rough patch.
The color varies widely depending on your skin tone. It can be pink, red, brown, black, or the same color as surrounding skin. One hallmark worth knowing: a new sore or raised area developing on top of an old scar or a wound that healed long ago. Squamous cell carcinoma is more likely than basal cell to spread to other parts of the body, so changes in these areas deserve prompt attention.
Melanoma and the ABCDE Rule
Melanoma is the most dangerous common skin cancer, with an estimated 112,000 new cases expected in the U.S. in 2026. The five-year survival rate is about 95% when caught early, which is why recognizing it matters so much. The ABCDE rule is the standard framework for spotting it:
- Asymmetry: One half of the mole doesn’t match the other.
- Border: The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred, and pigment may spread into surrounding skin.
- Color: Multiple shades appear in one spot, including black, brown, 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.
- Evolving: The mole has changed in size, shape, or color over the past few weeks or months.
Any single one of these features is worth having checked. A mole that’s evolving is especially important, even if it looks “normal” otherwise.
Nodular Melanoma: A Different Pattern
Not all melanomas follow the ABCDE pattern. Nodular melanoma grows downward into the skin rather than spreading outward, so it can be round, symmetric, and evenly colored, which makes it easy to miss with the standard checklist. For this type, the EFG rule is more useful: elevated above the skin surface, firm to the touch, and growing over weeks or months. If you notice a new raised bump that feels solid and is getting bigger, that combination warrants a skin check even if the bump looks uniform in color and shape.
Melanoma Under the Nails
Melanoma can develop beneath fingernails and toenails, where it’s called subungual melanoma. It usually appears as a dark brown or black vertical streak running from the base of the nail to the tip, almost like someone drew a line on your nail with a marker. It most commonly affects the big toe, thumb, or index finger.
The streak typically starts narrow, often less than 3 millimeters wide, but can widen and eventually cover the entire nail. Over time, the nail may swell, lift away from the nail bed, or start to bleed. One important sign is when the dark color extends beyond the nail onto the surrounding skin at the cuticle, known as Hutchinson’s sign. In some cases, there’s no visible discoloration at all, making it especially tricky to catch.
Skin Cancer on Darker Skin
Skin cancer looks different on darker skin, and it often shows up in different locations. 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 under the nails. These are areas that get less sun exposure, which is why skin cancer in darker-skinned individuals is often diagnosed later.
Melanoma on dark skin can look like a dark or black bump that appears waxy or shiny. It can also show up as a dark patch on the palm or sole. Because skin cancers on darker skin are more likely to be skin-colored, brown, or black rather than the pink or red typically described in medical resources, they’re frequently overlooked. Checking palms, soles, nails, and areas between the toes is especially important.
Amelanotic Melanoma: The Colorless Kind
One of the most deceptive forms of skin cancer is amelanotic melanoma, a rare subtype that produces little or no pigment. Instead of appearing dark, it can look pink, red, or skin-colored. Because people expect melanoma to be dark brown or black, this type is frequently missed or mistaken for a pimple, bug bite, or minor irritation. The EFG criteria (elevated, firm, growing) are particularly useful here, since color alone won’t alert you.
Precancerous Spots to Watch
Actinic keratoses aren’t cancer yet, but they can develop into squamous cell carcinoma over time. They appear as rough, scaly patches or bumps, often described as feeling like sandpaper. The color ranges from skin-toned to pink, red, or tan, and the surface may be dry, crusty, or horn-like. They develop on areas with years of sun exposure: the face, scalp (especially in people with thinning hair), ears, forearms, and backs of the hands. A single actinic keratosis isn’t an emergency, but having them treated reduces the chance of progression.
Harmless Growths That Mimic Cancer
Seborrheic keratoses are extremely common benign growths that can look alarming. They appear as waxy, stuck-on bumps that range from light tan to dark brown or black, and they can easily be confused with melanoma, especially when they’re dark or irregular. The key visual difference is texture: seborrheic keratoses tend to have a rough, waxy surface with tiny visible pores or cyst-like dots embedded in them. Melanoma lacks those features and instead shows the color variation, irregular borders, or asymmetry described in the ABCDE criteria. When in doubt, a dermatologist can tell the difference quickly, often with a handheld magnifying device.
Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Merkel cell carcinoma is rare but aggressive. It typically looks like a painless, firm, dome-shaped nodule on the skin, usually reddish or purplish in color. It grows fast, which is one of its defining characteristics. This cancer tends to appear on sun-exposed skin in people over 50, and it’s more common in people with weakened immune systems. Because it’s painless and can resemble a cyst or other harmless bump, rapid growth is the feature that should raise concern. In studies, 89% of Merkel cell carcinoma patients met at least three of the five warning criteria: painless, expanding rapidly, immune suppressed, older than 50, and on UV-exposed skin.
What to Look For Overall
Across all types of skin cancer, the common thread is change. A new growth that wasn’t there a few months ago, a sore that bleeds and doesn’t heal, a mole that shifts in color or size, a spot that looks different from everything else on your skin. Dermatologists sometimes call that last one the “ugly duckling” sign: the one lesion that doesn’t match the pattern of your other moles and spots. Monthly self-checks, covering your entire body including nails, scalp, soles, and between your toes, are the simplest way to notice changes early.