Goldfinger: a case of a patient with metal tattooing mimicking recurrent melanoma

Metal tattooing can be a clinical mimic of melanoma, of which dermatologists should be aware. Metal tattoos can vary in size and shape depending on the causative injury, and usually they are blue, grey or black in colour. We report the case of a 73-year-old patient diagnosed with a nodular subungal melanoma on his middle left finger. Six months following his amputation, he attended dermatology follow-up and was noted to have multiple blue–grey cutaneous macules measuring 1–2 mm in size proximal to the amputation scar. Although a careful occupational history in this patient’s case suggested the source of the dermal blue–grey deposits around the scar, it remains important to confirm this histologically, especially in patients at high risk of recurrent melanoma.