The assessment of melanoma by light microscopy with hematoxylin-eosin staining remains an often subjective process. However, there are additional diagnostic measures that may be of utility, such as immunohistochemical staining and genetic evaluation. Adjunctive genetic assessment to augment the diagnosis of melanoma includes comparative genomic hybridization or fluorescent in situ hybridization to assess for gains or losses in genetic material, or gene expression profiling in some form, to ascertain the expression of genes associated with malignancy. Although these techniques may bolster the dermatopathologic assessment of melanoma, none of them, at the present time, are singularly diagnostic. Additional developments in the genetic assessment and prognostication of melanoma are anticipated.