Melanoma | Symptoms & Causes

What are the symptoms of melanoma?

While melanomas in adults tend to turn darker, in children they often are whitish, yellowish, or pink. The most common symptoms of melanoma include:

• bump on the skin that itches or bleeds
• wart-like spot that is typically yellowish, whitish, or pink
• lesion on the skin, which may not be black or darkly pigmented as in adults
• odd-looking moles

As with adults, children are most at risk for melanoma if they have:

• fair skin
• a history of many blistering sunburns
• several large or many small moles
• family history of unusual moles
• family history of melanoma

What causes a melanoma?

As with adults, children are most at risk for melanoma if they have:

• fair skin
• history of many blistering sunburns
• several large or many small moles
• family history of unusual moles
• family history of melanoma