The only treatment needed for a thin melanoma is:

• removing the whole mole
• wide local excision (to make sure no melanoma cells are left behind).

After your whole mole has been removed (see diagnosis) and the results show that it is a melanoma, your specialist may ask you to have a wide local excision. If enough clear tissue was taken away when your melanoma was removed you might not need to have a wide local excision

The surgeon removes a small amount (margin) of normal-looking tissue all around the area where the melanoma was. This is to make sure that no melanoma cells have been left behind.

You will usually have this done under local anaesthetic in the day surgery unit in the same way as you had your mole removed. It may sometimes be done under general anaesthetic.

The surgeon usually removes at least 1cm of skin all around the melanoma. Your specialist nurse will give you information and advice about looking after the area. It will look red and sore at first, but this will gradually settle. Your stitches will be removed after 5–14 days. You will be left with a scar which is usually small and will eventually fade.

Very occasionally, a wider area of skin is removed and the surgeon may need to do a skin graft. Skin grafts are layers of skin taken from another part of the body and placed over the area where the melanoma has been removed. However, you don’t usually need to have a skin graft if you have a thin melanoma removed.

If the melanoma was on a visible part of your body (exposed), such as your face or neck, and its removal has changed your appearance, this may be difficult to come to terms with. Some skin clinics have a make-up specialist who will help you find the best way to cover up scars. There are also some organisations that provide camouflage make-up to cover up scars

Coping with a change in how you look can be difficult. It’s important to get support and many people find it helps to talk things through with someone close or a trained counsellor.

Surgery has a very high chance of curing a thin melanoma. The surgery will leave a scar on the skin but this will fade and may not be noticeable, depending on where your melanoma was. Without surgery melanoma is likely to spread into the deeper layers of the skin and may then spread to other areas of the body.

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor or the nurses looking after you. It often helps to make a list of questions for your doctor and to take a close friend or relative to the discussion with you.