Woman posts Facebook warning over black line on fingernails after claiming a beauty shop worker spotted it on a client – ‘who has now been diagnosed with skin cancer’
Jean Skinner took to Facebook to warn others about the dangerous mark
A WOMAN claiming to be a beauty salon worker said she alerted one of her clients to a devastating skin cancer diagnosis after noticing the tell-tale black line running through her nail.
Jean Skinner took to Facebook to warn others about the dangerous mark after the woman reportedly came to have her nails done.
Although the woman's story has not been verified, her claims about black lines on nails are in line with NHS advice on subungual melanoma, a form of skin cancer that affects the nail bed.
In the post – which has gone on to be shared more than 1,000 times – Jean wrote: “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!”
Jean warns others to “pay attention to abnormalities in your nail beds”.
She added: “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!”
Dr Walayat Hussain, a spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologist, said the picture was a “spot on” illustration of subungual melanoma.
He said: “Nail melanoma can occur, it is quite a rare form of melanoma.
“It is an isolated, pigmented streak going through one of your nails.
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“But it is important to realise there are a lot of other causes of that pigmentation but if it is just in one nail that is a sign that something is going on.
“It can be quite common in Afro-Caribbean patients and Asian patients to have much finer lines, but it won’t just be in one nail – if you look closely it will actually be in all their fingernails and their toenails.
“Certain prescribed medication can also cause this discolouration as well, like blood pressure tablets.
“If it is just in one nail though then it is definitely worth getting checked out by a doctor.”
What do dark stripes running down the nail mean?
The NHS say that 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, they go on to say 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).
Dr Hussain said the nail cancer occurs in the same way any melanoma occurs in the body.
He said: “We have these melanin producing cells called melanocytes, which the colour in your skin, and they can occur anywhere.
“Melanocytes are present throughout your skin your hair and your nails.
“It is like having a mole in the nail, it is the same process as a mole anywhere else on the body it just happens to be occurring where the nail sits.”
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