Non-pigmented melanoma - be aware it exists

Hi,

I was recently diagnosed with melanoma and the diagnosis came out of the blue as the lesion I had was nothing like the typical highly pigmented pictures you typically see of melanoma lesions.

With red hair, blue eyes and pale freckled skin, I thought nothing of what initially looked like a few joined up freckles. As I have ezcema elsewhere, when the joined up freckles started to look a bit irritated and have flaky skin it never occurred to me that it could be dangerous.

I found out later that what should have alerted me was the fact that it was painless when touched, even when rubbed hard, that it had irregular borders and that it was evolving.

All of this to say that melanoma has many guises and that it is always worth following up anything suspicious that doesn't heal as you expect.

Best to all

Kath