The short answer
This page explains how skin cancer shows up on black and brown skin, what to check during a skin self-exam, and which protections still matter. It is general education, not individual medical advice.
Skin cancer is more common in people with light skin, but it can affect anyone, no matter the color of their skin.
The most common form of melanoma in people with dark skin is acral lentiginous melanoma, which appears on the palms, soles, fingers, toes, and nail beds.
On darker skin, skin cancer may appear in places rarely or never exposed to the sun, so a self-check should cover all body surfaces, even the mouth.
A sore that does not heal, a new dark band under a nail, or a changing growth deserves a look from a health professional.
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Skin cancer in people of color is real, and it has a pattern worth knowing. NCI is direct about both halves: skin cancer is more common among people with a light or fair skin tone, but it can affect anyone, no matter the color of their skin. The catch is that on darker skin, it often shows up in places nobody thinks to look.
Where skin cancer appears on darker skin
On black and brown skin, NCI notes, skin cancer may be found in places on the body that are rarely or never exposed to the sun.
The clearest example is melanoma. The most common form of melanoma in people with dark skin is acral lentiginous melanoma. "Acral" refers to the hands and feet. This form occurs on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and on fingers, toes, and nail beds. NCI describes what it can look like: a dark patch on your palm or the bottom of your foot, or a dark band under your nail.
Those are spots most of us rarely inspect. A mark on the sole of a foot, or under a toenail, can sit unnoticed for a long time. That is a reason for a deliberate habit of checking, not a reason for alarm. Most marks in these places are not cancer.
What to look for during a skin self-check
NCI's guidance for people with darker skin is to check the skin on all surfaces of your body, even in your mouth. The changes to watch for:
- A new mole or other new growth on your skin.
- Changes in the appearance of an old growth or a scar, especially a burn scar.
- A patch of skin that is a different color and becomes darker or changes color.
- A sore that does not heal. It may bleed or form a crust.
- A dark band on a nail, especially if the dark band begins to spread.
Include the palms, the soles, between fingers and toes, and the nail beds. None of these findings means cancer on its own. Sores heal slowly for many reasons, and nail streaks have ordinary causes. The signal to act on is persistence and change. A spot that is new, growing, spreading, or refusing to heal deserves a professional look. Our page on melanoma symptoms describes warning signs in more detail.
Risk factors that have nothing to do with sun
Sun exposure is the headline risk factor for skin cancer, and CDC's list of higher-risk traits leans that way. It includes lighter natural skin color, skin that burns or freckles easily, a history of sunburns or tanning, many moles, and a family or personal history of skin cancer.
But NCI's page on skin cancer in black or brown skin adds risks that apply regardless of skin tone. These include:
- Having scars or skin ulcers
- Medical conditions that suppress the immune system, such as HIV
- Medicines that suppress the immune system, such as those taken after an organ transplant
- Arsenic exposure
- Older age
If any of these describe you, it is worth asking a clinician whether your skin should be checked regularly.
Sun protection still matters
A darker skin tone offers some natural protection, but not an exemption. CDC's position is blunt: anyone can get skin cancer, and sunburns increase your risk. Protection is the same for everyone:
- Sunscreen with at least SPF 30.
- Long sleeves, long pants, and a hat when you will be out for a while.
- Limiting direct sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when rays are strongest.
Skipping protection because "we don't burn" leaves the door open to damage that adds up over years.
Why this deserves attention
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Melanoma is much less common than basal cell and squamous cell cancers. But it is much more likely to invade nearby tissue and spread. Most deaths from skin cancer are caused by melanoma. Cancers on palms, soles, and nails are easy to overlook simply because those places are easy to overlook.
The takeaway is a habit, not a fear. Check all of your skin now and then, including the parts the sun never sees. Photograph anything you are unsure about so you can tell whether it changes. And bring persistent changes to your care team, who can examine the spot properly and, if needed, test it.
Sources
Common questions
Can Black people get skin cancer?
Yes. NCI states that skin cancer is more common among people with a light or fair skin tone, but it can affect anyone, no matter the color of their skin. CDC's message is the same: anyone can get skin cancer. Lower risk is not zero risk.
What does melanoma look like on dark skin?
The most common form in people with dark skin is acral lentiginous melanoma. NCI says it can look like a dark patch on your palm or the bottom of your foot, or a dark band under your nail. It occurs on the palms, soles, fingers, toes, and nail beds.
Is a dark line under my fingernail cancer?
Usually not, and nail streaks have non-cancer causes. But NCI includes a dark band on the nail in its list of changes to watch, especially if the dark band begins to spread. A new band, or one that is changing, is worth showing to a health professional rather than watching alone.
Do people with darker skin need sunscreen?
Federal guidance on sun protection applies to everyone. NCI's advice for people with darker skin includes sunscreen of at least SPF 30, covering up with long sleeves, long pants, and a hat, and limiting sun during the middle of the day. Sunburns increase skin cancer risk, per CDC.
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Sources last checked: 2026-10-02 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-21Next planned review: 2027-08-21
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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