Direct sequence analysis of in vitro amplified DNA from paraffin-embedded tissue is a promising new technique useful for detailed molecular analyses of material stored in dermatopathological archives. As only minute amounts of highly damaged DNA can be recovered from paraffin-embedded sections, sequence analysis of DNA from formalin-fixed and embedded tissue can result in less clear and readable data. We report here useful modifications that result in clear and readable sequence data. As an example, we detail the detection of a point mutation at codon 61 of the human N-ras gene in DNA from a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded malignant melanoma specimen. This technique will be of value in many areas of molecular dermatopathology.