New Technique Spots Pheomelanin In Pale Patients At Risk Of Dangerous Melanoma, Massachusetts General Hospital Reveals

People with light colored skin, and particularly orange tinted redheads, have high levels of pheomelanin, a type of melanin, in their skin. It is correlated with amelanotic melanoma, a nasty skin cancer that’s difficult not only to treat, but to detect in the first place. This is because pheomelanin within amelanotic melanomas blends in with healthy skin, making it difficult to spot, unlike the much darker eumelanin that’s related to the majority of melanomas.