A single black line running through nail could be a sign of melanoma

August 23, 2017  21:37

A woman has shared a Facebook warning claiming a lady with a black line down her fingernail discovered she actually had cancer.

The Facebook post, shared by Lisa Harrison Williams and more than 85,000 others, tells of a woman who walked into a beauty salon with a dark vertical stripe down one of her nails.

Thinking it was just lack of calcium or a blood blister, she apparently asked for it a nail colour dark enough to cover it up.

But after she was advised to see a doctor, the post claims she discovered she actually had aggressive melanoma that had spread to her lymph nodes.

The full post read: "I had a walk-in nail client a couple weeks ago.

"She had been going to the 'NAILS' type salons for years. She had a straight dark vertical stripe down her nail.

"She said as soon as she sat down-I need a color dark enough to cover this stripe.

"The nail salons 'diagnosed' her a few different ways. Some said it was a lack of calcium. Some said it was hereditary. At least one had told her it was a blood blister.

"This is melanoma!!! I did not want to frighten her but I told her she needed to see her doctor immediately! She called me today to tell me that yes it was a very aggressive melanoma that has already spread to her lymph nodes!!

"Her prognosis is not good!Please pay attention to abnormalities in your nail beds!! Odd changes in your nails can very likely be nothing to worry about! But sometimes it is an indication of a very serious disease.

"And please keep an eye on the nail beds-toes and fingers-of your elderly loved ones and your loved ones that aren't physically able to notice changes in the nail beds!

"Early diagnosis can make all the difference in the world!!! (sic)"

The NHS says: "Dark stripes running down the nails (linear melanonychia) are fairly common in black people over 20 years of age, and in most cases it's perfectly normal.

"However, dark stripes shouldn't be ignored because it can sometimes be a form of skin cancer that affects the nail bed, called subungual melanoma. It's important that your doctor checks it to rule out melanoma.

"Subungual melanoma usually only affects one nail. It will also cause the stripe to change in appearance – for example, it may become wider or darker over time and the pigmentation may also affect the surrounding skin (the nail fold)."

 

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