Illustration copyright 2003 Nucleus Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.nucleusinc.com

Surgery to remove (excise) melanoma removes the cancer and a border of healthy tissue.

• The inner circle represents the melanoma and healthy tissue that are excised.
• An eye-shaped incision is often done to neatly close the surgical site. Other ways of removing the melanoma can leave a scar shaped a little like the letter "Z" or a round scar.