The width of the resection margin for 62 melanomas < 0.76 mm thick ranged from 0.10-5.50 cm, with 32% being 1.0 cm or less. None of these patients had a local recurrence or metastases. It appears that these thin tumors should be treated conservatively, the size of the resection margin being dependent on the anatomic location of the tumor. In most instances, skin grafting should not be necessary.