Halo Nevus vs Melanoma

How to tell the difference — key features compared side by side.

Feature
Halo Nevus
Melanoma
Category
Benign
Malignant
Key feature
A mole surrounded by a white ring of depigmented skin. The immune system attacking the mole - usually benign, most common in teenagers.
The most dangerous skin cancer - but 99% survival when caught early. Learn the ABCDE signs.
Risk factors
Adolescence and young adulthood; Tendency toward vitiligo or autoimmune conditions; Fair skin
Fair skin, light eyes, red or blond hair (Fitzpatrick types I-II); History of blistering sunburns, especially before age 18; More than 50 ordinary moles on the body
Action needed
If the central mole has irregular features (asymmetry, irregular borders, multiple colors)
A new mole or spot that looks different from your other moles (the ugly duckling sign)

Halo Nevus

A halo nevus is a mole surrounded by a symmetrical ring (halo) of depigmented (white) skin. The white ring forms because the body's immune system is attacking and destroying the melanocytes in and around the mole - a process called immune-mediated regression.

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Melanoma

Melanoma develops in melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin and give your skin its color. While it accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers, it causes most of skin cancer deaths. The good news: when detected at stage I, the five-year survival rate exceeds 99%.

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Does yours look more like halo nevus?

Quick self-check

Does this look like halo nevus? Answer 2 questions.

Is there a symmetrical white ring surrounding the mole?

Does the central mole itself look normal (symmetrical, even color)?

Still not sure?

Our full ABCDE checker evaluates 5 clinical criteria dermatologists use.

Full ABCDE check →