Cutaneous melanoma arises in skin melanocytes. Albeit largely resistant to available therapeutic options when advanced, it is curable at an early stage. Most melanoma cases are associated with previous exposure to ultraviolet radiation, especially in fair-skinned individuals. Clinical subtypes of melanoma are superficial spreading, nodular, lentigo maligna, acral lentiginous and desmoplastic neurotropic. Lentigo maligna develops on the head and neck of elderly individuals and follows a lengthy pre-invasive course. Diagnosis must always be confirmed through full-thickness excisional biopsy with minimal clinical margins. Breslow (tumour) thickness in millimetres and presence of ulceration determine the T (tumour) part of the TNM staging system (tumour, node, metastasis). BRAF gene mutations are present in a significant number of patients and are actionable. Following histologic confirmation of diagnosis, wide local excision (WLE) is performed with clinical margins dependent on thickness. Systemic treatment can be administered on an adjuvant basis in cases of resectable primary tumours with clinically occult nodal metastasis or on a first-line basis in case of metastatic disease. PD-1 inhibitors (nivolumab, pembrolizumab) and BRAF inhibitors (vemurafenib, dabrafenib, encorafenib) are the main systemic drugs for melanoma, but a number of other agents are used or being studied in clinical trials.