Last Updated on June 17, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

melanoma myths busted

Did you know that melanoma kills 1 American every hour? That’s about 9,000 deaths in a year! The worst part? Melanoma is making more victims than ever. In the past 30 years, the number of melanoma cases kept rising up. Young women have it worst. Maybe it’s because we like to tan, but we’re melanoma’s fave victims.

How do you keep yourself safe from it? The first step is sunscreen. The second is knowledge. Yep, knowledge. Cos you can’t protect yourself from melanoma if you keep believing all the myths around it. Like, tanning beds are safer than outdoor tanning or melanoma only appears as a black mole. These are BS. So here they are, 4 melanoma myths, busted:

Melanoma Myth #1. If You Avoid The Sun, You Won’t Get Melanoma

If only it were that easy! It’s true that prolonged and unprotected sun exposure increases your chances of getting melanoma. Even one bad sunburn as a child is enough. But melanoma is a cancer and cancer doesn’t discriminate. Every know and then, it chooses a victim that carefully avoided sun exposure all her life.

Let’s say you avoid the sun like the plague. Well, if one of your relatives had melanoma, you’re still more at risk of getting it, too. Heck, if ANY type of cancer runs in your family, you’re more at risk of melanoma. That explains why anyone, at any age, can get melanoma. Or why melanomas show up in areas that aren’t usually exposed to the sun. Like the inside of the mouth, the eye, and even the vagina!

Another weird spot? Under your nails. Ever noticed a dark streak in a fingernail that wasn’t there before? That could be a sign of subungual melanoma – rare, but it happens. So don’t skip your nails in your self-checks either.

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Melanoma Myth #2: Tanning Beds Are Safer Than Outdoor Tanning

There is no such thing as a safe tan. I repeat, there is no such thing as a safe tan. Do you know what a tan really is? It’s your body’s natural self-mechanism against UV rays. Here’s how it works: as harmful UV rays hit your skin, your body produces more melanin to lessen the damage. If you see your skin’s getting darker, it means some of the damage has already happened.

Your body is telling you, “get out of here, now before things get worse and I get wrinkles or cancer!” Listen to it! Your body doesn’t care if UV radiation comes from the sun or a tanning bed. Both damage your skin and leave you at risk of developing melanoma. I know what you’re going to say: “But, Gio, everyone knows you can’t burn in a tanning bed. That makes them safer, right?”

Nope. You can’t burn in a tanning bed because UVB rays give you sunburns. Tanning beds emit mostly UVA rays, the ones responsible for premature wrinkles and dark spots. Both UVA and UVB rays, though, give you cancer. So even if you’re ok with swapping sunburns for wrinkles, you’re still at danger of skin cancer. Avoid!

Quick tip: If you’re still craving that bronzed look, use a self-tanner. It gives you color without the DNA damage. Just don’t get cocky and skip the SPF. A fake tan offers zero protection.

Related: 5 Tanning Beds Myths Busted!

Melanoma Myth #3: Melanoma Only Appears As An Ugly Black Mole

I wish! It’d be so much easier to diagnose. It’s true that a lot of melanomas look like ugly black moles. But melanoma can appear in any brown or tan shades. It can even develop in moles that have hairs. Some melanomas don’t even look like moles. There’s a type called amelanotic melanoma that has little or no pigment at all. It might show up as a pink bump or a flat, the colour of your skin, and it’s way harder to spot. That’s why checking only for dark, ugly moles isn’t enough.

So how can you tell if you’re dealing with melanoma or just a harmless mole? Easy: keep an eye on any mole different from the others on your body or that has changed overtime. Better yet, go to a doctor for a full body exam once a year. Sure, it’s embarrassing but it can save your life. Melanoma doesn’t have to be deadly. If caught in time, you can expect a fully recovery.

WHAT’S THE ABCDE RULE AGAIN?

If you’re trying to figure out if that mole is a “meh” or a “go see a doctor now,” the ABCDE rule is your friend:

A = Asymmetry. One half doesn’t match the other.
B = Border. Edges are irregular, ragged, or blurred.
C = Color. There’s more than one shade or it’s super dark.
D = Diameter. Bigger than a pencil eraser? Worth checking.
E = Evolving. Anything changing in size, shape, color, or feeling.

Even if only one of these things applies, it’s worth booking a derm check.

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Melanoma Myth #4: Sunscreen Can Prevent Melanoma

This isn’t false, but it’s not 100% true either. Hear me out: Sunscreen can help prevent melanomas by shielding you from UV radiation. But as we’ve seen in myth 1, even people who don’t spend too much time in the sun can get melanoma.

You see, like any cancer, melanoma begins when one or more genes in a cell are mutated. This mutation can have several causes. Sometimes, it happens because you’ve spent too much time in the sun without sunscreen. Or because you’re a smoker. Or you simply live in a polluted city. Other times, the culprit is more insidious. You can get cancer, including melanoma, simply because your parents passed “bad, mutated genes” to you.

That’s why even healthy people who do everything right – eat plenty of veggies and no sugar, exercise daily, don’t smoke and wear sunscreen – can get cancer, including melanoma. Sometimes, your genes are stacked against you.

If you have a genetic risk of developing melanoma, wearing sunscreen every day doesn’t guarantee you won’t get it. But it can reduce your chances your genes will get triggered – and that’s when cancer happens. Reduce isn’t the same as eliminate but I’ll still take it. When your genes are stacked against you, doing everything right is even more important.

What If You Already Have Melanoma in Your Family?

First of all, deep breath. It doesn’t mean you’re doomed. But it does mean you need to take sun protection more seriously than most. That includes:

  • Annual dermatologist checks
  • Monthly at-home skin exams (yes, even on your scalp and between your toes)
  • Sunscreen every damn day, even in winter
  • Protective clothing, wide-brim hats, and avoiding peak sun hours

Think of it this way: if your family had a history of heart disease, you’d probably cut back on bacon. Same energy applies here – except instead of skipping bacon, you skip the sunburn.

The Bottom Line

Look, melanoma doesn’t care if you “don’t really burn” or if you only tan indoors or if you eat kale five times a week. It’s sneaky like that. That’s why all this stuff matters. Because when you still believe the myths like “sunscreen makes me break out” or “my mole’s been there forever so it’s probably fine,” you’re giving melanoma the upper hand. And that’s a hard no.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be aware. Do your skin checks. Wear the sunscreen. Book the appointment. Cancel the tanning membership. Literally takes less effort than a full face of makeup. Catch it early, and you’ve got options. Ignore it, and… well, that’s not the ending we want. So yeah, ditch the myths and protect your damn skin. It’s the only one you’ve got.