After melanoma treatment
How to check your own skin properly, what follow-up involves, sun protection that actually matters, and the long-term effects of immunotherapy.
4 min read · Part of Cancer Types
Written by The LifeAfterward editorial team from the sources listed at the end of this page.
Not individually reviewed by a clinician. This page is written from published clinical guidance, listed in full at the end, and is general information rather than medical advice — your own team knows your case. See our editorial standards.
Last checked against its sources · Last updated · Next check due
In short
- Having had one melanoma increases the risk of another, so self-examination and professional skin checks continue for years.
- Most recurrences and new melanomas are found by the person themselves or their partner, not at a scheduled appointment.
- Follow-up intensity depends on stage — from clinical skin checks to regular imaging.
- Immunotherapy can cause hormone problems that are permanent and need lifelong replacement — know the symptoms.
What this means
Melanoma follow-up puts more responsibility on you than most cancers, because the surface of your skin is something you can inspect and a clinician sees only occasionally. A monthly routine that takes ten minutes is the core of it — and it works.
Checking your own skin
- Once a month, in good light, with a full-length mirror and a hand mirror. Same day each month is easier to remember.
- Work systematically: face, scalp (use a comb or ask someone), neck, chest, abdomen, back, arms, hands and nails, legs, feet including soles and between the toes, and the genital area.
- Ask a partner or friend to check your back and scalp — the areas people cannot see are exactly where lesions get missed.
- Photograph anything you are unsure about, with a ruler or coin for scale, and re-photograph in a few weeks.
- Also feel the scar area and nearby lymph node areas — neck, armpits, groin — for new lumps.
- The ABCDE signs
- Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Colour variation, Diameter growing or over about 6 mm, Evolving — any change over weeks or months.
- The ugly duckling sign
- A spot that simply looks different from your other spots. Often more useful than any checklist.
- Also report
- A new lump under the skin, a changing scar, a sore that does not heal, or a new pigmented streak in a nail.
Follow-up
- Regular clinical skin examination, more often in the first years and then less frequently — sometimes for five to ten years or longer.
- Examination of the scar and regional lymph nodes.
- For higher-stage disease, imaging such as CT, PET-CT or MRI at intervals, and sometimes blood tests.
- Dermatology involvement, particularly if you have many moles or a family history.
- Discussion of genetic risk where there is a strong family history or multiple primaries.
Sun protection that is worth doing
- Shade in the middle of the day is more effective than any product.
- Clothing, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses do more than sunscreen alone.
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen, generously applied and reapplied — most people apply far less than the amount products are tested with.
- No sunbeds, ever.
- Vitamin D: ask about testing or supplementation, since you will be getting less sun exposure.
- This applies to cloudy days and to travel, and it applies for life.
If you had immunotherapy or targeted therapy
- Thyroid problems are common and usually easy to treat once identified.
- Pituitary or adrenal problems are less common but serious, and may require lifelong hormone replacement — persistent fatigue, dizziness, nausea, low blood pressure or weight loss should be reported.
- Joint pain, skin changes, colitis and other immune-related effects can persist or appear later.
- Carry documentation that you received immunotherapy; it changes how other doctors interpret new symptoms.
What to ask your healthcare team
- How often should I be checked, and by whom — dermatology or the cancer team?
- Do I need scans, and for how long?
- How exactly should I be checking my skin, and what should worry me?
- Should my family have skin checks, or should I have genetic assessment?
- If I had immunotherapy, what hormone tests do I need and for how long?
- Do I need vitamin D testing or supplementation?
Save questions to My Journey so you have them in the room, or use a ready-made list.
When to seek medical advice
Contact your healthcare team if you have:
- A new or changing mole, or a spot that looks different from the others.
- A lump under the skin, near a scar, or in the neck, armpit or groin.
- A sore that does not heal, or a new pigmented streak in a nail.
- Persistent fatigue, dizziness or nausea after immunotherapy.
Get emergency help the same day if you have:
- Severe headache with vision changes, or collapse — particularly after immunotherapy.
- Vomiting with dizziness and weakness if you have known adrenal insufficiency — this is an emergency.
If you are worried and unsure, contact your team anyway — they would far rather hear from you unnecessarily than late. What to do in an emergency.
Common questions
How often should I check my skin after melanoma?
Monthly self-examination is the usual recommendation, alongside professional skin checks at intervals set by your team. Most new melanomas and recurrences are found by the person or their partner rather than at a scheduled appointment.
Sources
This page was written from the guidance below and checked against it on . Links are re-checked at each review — see our editorial standards.
- ASCO (Cancer.Net). Survivorship
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Guidelines for Patients
- National Cancer Institute (US). Follow-up medical care after cancer treatment
- National Cancer Institute (US). Late effects of cancer treatment
- American Cancer Society. Survivorship: during and after treatment