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I Noticed A Strange Symptom After I Had My Monthly Manicure – It Saved My Life
A MUM claims her monthly manicures "saved her life" after noticing a strange symptom during an appointment.
Michelle Tagliamonte, 58, spotted faint black lines on the nail of her her right thumb while getting a manicure in September last year.
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Michelle Tagliamonte, 58, says her monthly manicures saved her lifeCredit: Kennedy Newsand Media8
She spotted two faint lines on her right thumb nailCredit: Kennedy Newsand Media8
Michelle was diagnosed with melanomaCredit: Kennedy Newsand MediaBut when the marks hadn't grown out by her next nail session a month later, the mum-of-two decided to get it checked out as a precautionary measure.
After a trip to her dermatologist and a biopsy, the health coach was diagnosed with stage zero melanoma in her finger.
Michelle underwent a four-hour operation and skin graft on January 17 to have the cancer removed.
Graphic photos show the 58-year-old's thumb bloodied with a large incision and stitches running down the side of her hand following surgery.
The nutrition educator will now be left without a right thumbnail for life.
But she claims getting her nails painted saved her life as it allowed her to catch the cancer at its earliest stage.
Now healing well, Michelle is sharing her story to urge anyone with even subtle changes to get themselves checked out.
Michelle, from Centreville, Ohio, US, said: "The first time I noticed it [the mark] was in September.
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Tattoos 'may increase risk of deadly cancers', says new study"I usually get my nails done every four weeks so I don't know how long it has been there but my nails grow pretty quickly because I have really good nutrition.
"It could have been in there for six months, it could have been in there for longer, I have no idea.
Skin cancer symptoms you should NEVER ignore, with Dr Philippa Kaye"I took some photos of the lines and then I decided to get my nails done.
"I then saw them again in October [when I got my nails done again] and the lines hadn't grown out.
"The lines were continuing to come from the base of the nail so I thought I should get it checked out.
"I found out around Thanksgiving that it was melanoma.
"What the dermatologist was seeing was discoloration at the base of my thumb nail and whatever was causing this black line in my nail was coming from inside the growth plate down from inside my nail.
"I was very confident it was nothing so when I got the diagnosis I was very shocked it was melanoma.
"The nail appointment absolutely saved my life. I am glad that I noticed it and then I pursued to get it checked out."
According to Cancer Research UK, stage zero melanoma is also referred to as melanoma in situ, is when the cancer cells only lie in the top layer of the skin.
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Michelle underwent an operation to remove the skin cancerCredit: Kennedy Newsand Media8
She underwent a skin graft as the operation exposed tendons in her handCredit: Kennedy Newsand Media8
Michelle is getting used to never having a right thumbnail againCredit: Kennedy Newsand MediaIn these cases, surgery is the main treatment to have the cancer removed.
During Michelle's operation, a plastic surgeon hand specialist took a skin graft from the bottom of her thumb to place over her exposed tendon and bone after they removed the cancer from her finger.
Michelle said she was "freaked out" at the idea of surgeons having to remove her nail.
She recalled: "I was more worried about what they were going to have to do to get rid of it and the surgery itself. This was scary.
What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it?
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.
The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable.
The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds.
People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin.
Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin.
Most experts recommend using the simple "ABCDE" rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.
There are five letters/words to remember:
A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma.
But other signs to look out for include moles that are:
How deadly is it?
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer.
The outlook of a person's disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed.
Survival is better for women than it is for men.
"We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage," says Cancer Research UK.
The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
What is melanoma?
Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin.
When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun's rays.
But melanocytes are also where cancer starts.
Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin's DNA.
The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth.
People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin.
Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.
"The melanoma was in the growth plate [in my thumb] down to my first knuckle.
"This is where they had to cut out and they had to create a skin graft so when they had to dig out the melanoma, the bone and the tendon was exposed so they had to put some flesh back in it.
"The skin graft was pretty invasive. I will never have a thumb nail ever again but if I had let it go, I might have lost the tip of my thumb or worse so I am very grateful and it is healing well."
Michelle had to get used to doing things differently after the surgery but has come to terms with not having a right thumbnail.
"[Since surgery], there is no permanent nerve damage. I have a scar that runs down my thumb and the skin is still healing and new skin is forming under the skin graft.
"I'm right-handed so the worst part was not being able to use this hand. For the first couple of weeks I couldn't button my own trousers or put on my own bra."
Signs of melanoma in your nails
Subungual melanoma, or nail melanoma, is skin cancer under your nail.
It usually appears as a dark, vertical streak on your nail.
Subungual melanoma is rare but serious.
Unlike other skin cancers, subungual melanoma isn't linked to sun exposure.
It's most likely to develop in your big toe, thumb or index finger.
It usually has a distinct shape, which some may describe it as looking like you drew a line on your nail with a black or brown marker.
It appears as a dark line on your nail and runs from bottom to top.
This streak or stripe may start small but grow to cover the entire nail and extend to the cuticle.
The line will typically get wider over time, and they can also multiply.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
Michelle is now urging others to trust their own intuition and get themselves checked out if they notice any changes in their body.
Michelle said: "I am very grateful that I caught it at stage zero and it was localised. I think it's just a matter of being diligent to get myself checked out.
"I would just say don't take anything for granted. I would definitely say that if you see something that is odd or different, listen to your own intuition and get it checked out.
"If I was afraid to get my nail checked out and removed, Lord only knows what the future could hold."
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Michelle's thumb after her biopsy, before the cancer was removedCredit: Kennedy Newsand Media8
She urged others with similar symptoms to get them checked outCredit: Kennedy Newsand MediaWhat Your Fingernails Can Reveal About Your Health
10 February 2025ShareSave
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Fingernails help protect the underlying skin from injury, and they also come in handy when you want to scratch an itch or peel a satsuma. But what do they reveal about your health?
There's no shortage of folk wisdom about how to glean the state of your overall health from your nails, such as the pervasive idea that the white flecks that sometimes turn up – known as leukonychia – are a sign of calcium deficiency. But is there any truth to these ideas?
First up some basic anatomy. Nails are an extension of the skin. They are made from keratin, a super tough protein that shields the toes and tops of your fingers from trauma. The half-moon shape seen at the base of the nail is the lunula, which serves as the "growth centre" for the nail, producing the cells that will eventually harden into the nail plate . It sits above the cuticle, a layer of dead cells joining the base of the nailbed to the skin. The cuticle offers extra protection by acting as the nail's security guard, stopping bacteria, fungi and other pathogens in their tracks.
While the eyes might be the windows to the soul, to a doctor the nails can be the windows to your health. Physicians can use them to diagnose all sorts of conditions, from dermatological problems to kidney disease or even autoimmune disorders.
A sign of something serious
"One of the first things I learned in medical school was to look for something called clubbing, where there is this loss of the angle between the nail and the nail bed itself," says Dan Baumgardt, a general practitioner in medicine and lecturer in neuroscience and physiology at the University of Bristol.
With clubbing, the nail beds soften, and the nails almost seem to "float" instead of being firmly attached to the finger. The fingertips also appear large or bulging. "It causes an unusual sort of swollen finger appearance where the finger looks a little bit like a drumstick," says Baumgardt.
Clubbing is a sign of extremely low blood oxygen levels. It is most commonly associated with lung cancer, but it can also indicate an infection of the lining of the heart chambers and heart valves, among other things. Other conditions where it is observed include celiac disease, cirrhosis of the liver and lung infections amongst others.
Clubbed nails are shaped like an upside down spoon, and can be an indicator of a serious underlying condition such as lung cancer (Credit: Alamy)
"If you do see a patient with clubbing the rule of thumb is to get them an x-ray as an urgency, because it could be an underlying lung cancer that could be explaining it," says Baumgardt. "Having said that even though it's one of the first things that we learned in medical school. I really don't know why, because in all the 14 years I've been a doctor, I've only ever seen it once," he says.
White flecks on the nail – known as leukonychia – are often touted to be a sign of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. However, the evidence to support this is mixed. In one small study of undergraduates, there was no correlation between this symptom and a person's intake of either zinc or calcium. However, in one case report of a patient with Crohn's disease who developed severe leukonychia on his fingernails while deficient in selenium, it disappeared after treatment with this mineral.
In general, leukonychia are more likely to be a result of nail trauma. Stubbing your toe, trapping your fingernail in a door, too many manicures, or dropping a heavy object on your foot may cause such a mark.
Nevertheless, white discolouration on the nail could suggest an underlying health issue. For instance, white marks can be a sign of heavy metal poisoning with lead or arsenic. White discolouration of the nail could be a sign of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes raised, inflamed, scaly patches of skin. If the entire nail turns white, this could suggest a deficiency of protein in the bloodstream, which can indicate kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes.
"If people have low protein levels in their bloodstream it [often] causes the whole nail to go white," says Baumgardt. "We tend to associate that with people who've got liver disease, so things like cirrhosis of the liver, perhaps as a result of alcoholism."
Blue nails, on the other hand, are a sign that the body might be lacking oxygen. It could be a sign of serious heart disease or emphysema and is something you should get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. This is also the case if you see dark lines underneath the nail, as although this can be caused by trauma, it could also be a sign of subungual melanoma, a rare but serious type of skin cancer.
Bleeding beneath the nail – if it doesn't heal – could also indicate something more serious. "You can get what we call splinter haemorrhages, which look like little red streaks of blood, similar to if you imagine a splinter stuck under your nail," says Baumgardt. "That haemorrhage can sometimes be suggestive of vasculitis, which is an inflammation of the blood vessels. One of the main underlying causes can be an infection of the heart valve, which causes these odd little red swellings," he says.
There are many possible causes for leukonychia, including superficial damage from bashing – though it can also be a sign of something more sinister (Credit: Getty Images)
A touch of fungus
Other, more common conditions can also be diagnosed by looking at the nails. When examining a patient, doctors typically look for alterations in colour, thickness and shape.
For example, in a healthy nail the underlying nail bed should be pink except for the white tips. Other colours could indicate an infection of the nail itself, or an underlying health condition.
Nails are extensions of the skin, effectively, and your skin can tell you so much about what's going on in your body – Dan Baumgardt"If you see either white or yellow discolouration on your toes, especially on your toenails, that is a sign of a fungal infection," says Holly Wilkinson, a lecturer in wound healing at the University of Hull.
Although in many countries, such as the US and the UK, you can buy over-the-counter topical medication for mild fungal nail infections, if you leave it too late then it can become more difficult to treat. (It's important to always consult a doctor if you suspect that you have a nail infection.)
"I think a lot of the time when people have discolouration in the nails they don't realise that it's an infection, so it can get to a point where it becomes quite bad, and then they have to go and see a podiatrist," says Wilkinson.
Fragile nails
Meanwhile the shape of the nail can also reveal underlying problems. Healthy toe and fingernails should be convex, which means they curve slightly outwards. They shouldn't contain any dips or craters. If they do, it may be a sign that you have koilonychia, a condition where the nail curves inwards and looks thin and brittle. In some cases, people with koilonychia have a central depression in their nail deep enough to hold a drop of fluid, hence the condition is often referred to as "spoon nails".
If your any of your nails bear a resemblance to a spoon, this could be a sign of anaemia, when the body doesn't have enough healthy blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues. Anaemia can be caused by iron deficiency. However, it can also be a sign of coeliac disease, among other conditions.
On the other hand, some changes in the nail can indicate nutritional deficiencies. Some people have horizontal ridges, known as Beau's lines, that run horizontally across their nails. This could indicate a deficiency such as insufficient protein. However, this feature could also be a sign of diabetes and peripheral vascular disease – a disorder involving reduced circulation of blood to certain parts of the body, usually due to the buildup of fat and cholesterol in the arteries – so it is still important to get it checked out.
"Beau's lines can indicate zinc deficiency, while brittle nails are a sign of hypothyroidism or vitamin B7 deficiency," says Mary Pearson, a paediatrician working at the University Hospital of Wales. "In some cases we might be more diligent about looking for these, for example in safeguarding cases where we are concerned about a child's nutrition, or where we suspect chronic disease," she says.
In other cases, nail changes may be caused by lifestyle factors rather than health problems. For example peeling nails, also known as onychoschizia, occurs when thin layers of the nails literally separate from the free nail edge and peel back. "Onychoschizia may be the result of excessive hand washing, nail dryness, and the use of acrylics and other nail polishes," says Joshua Zeichner, professor of dermatology at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Fungal nail infections can take up to a year to treat successfully (Credit: Getty Images)
You may wonder what it is about nails that makes them so revealing of a person's underlying health. One of the main reasons is that nails are obviously one of the few parts of the body that you can see from the outside.
"Nails are extensions of the skin, effectively, and your skin can tell you so much about what's going on in your body," says Baumgardt. "Your first impression of a patient often starts from the bedside, so you look them all over and you start off with their nails, you look in their eyes and their mouth. And you start to do an end-of-the-bed assessment, trying to pick out diagnostic pictures from that point early on. So nails are one of the first things we see," he says.
While most of the time changes in the nail are harmless, and are simply down to a nail injury, if you notice that the change in shape, colour, or texture is more permanent, then you should always consult the advice of a doctor.
* All content within this column is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of this site. The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health.
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I Spotted An Early Sign Of Deadly Cancer On My Husband's Toenail – Doctors Dismissed It As A Fungal Infection
A WOMAN has shared how she found a worryingly small early symptom of cancer on her husband's toenail – which was dismissed by doctors as a fungal infection.
David Edges wasn't concerned when a faint line appeared on one of his toenails, but it rang alarm bells for his wife Kelly.
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Kelly Edges spotted a subtle sign of skin cancer on her husband David's toenailCredit: Jam Press5
She grew concerned when she saw a line across his toenail - but doctors dismissed as a fungal issueCredit: Jam Press5
The line gradually grew thicker and it turned out to be a sign of melanomaCredit: Jam PressThe 47-year-old skin specialist had taken a course about nail conditions during her training and remembered that changes like the line could hint at something serious.
She insisted David, 52, get checked by a doctor, who said to just keep an eye on the nail.
A second opinion from another GP, prompted by Kelly, had a similar result - with this doctor allegedly dismissing the line as a fungal issue.
But Kelly monitored the change in the nail and noticed the line thickening over time.
The couple insisted that doctors get a biopsy from David.
This revealed that the 52-year-old in fact had a type of skin cancer called melanoma, confined to just that area of the skin.
"It's awful to hear the words melanoma," Kelly, from Solihull, said.
"I first noticed the line in May 2022 and it rang alarm bells because I remember learning about nail conditions and changes during my training back in the late 90s.
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Tattoos 'may increase risk of deadly cancers', says new study"I also understood that you cannot tell the difference between a malignant subungual melanoma (skin cancer that develops under the nail) and a benign one.
"Doctors are great at quick referrals for changes in moles on the body but because subungual melanomas are so rare, there didn't seem to be a lot of concern for his toe.
Horrifying time-lapse video shows how 'tiny mark' on your nail can morph into killer stage 4 cancer"David visited the GP that same month and was told to keep an eye on it.
"He was happy to go with the professional's advice, but I wasn't happy.
"I kept an eye on it and the following October I noticed the line was wider and had darkened in colour."
This time, a second GP said it was "likely to be fungal".
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Kelly kept insisting that the line on David's toenail was something sinisterCredit: Jam Press5
David's toe after a skin graftCredit: Jam PressKelly said: "I felt very frustrated at this point so we booked a private appointment.
"The doctor thoroughly checked David's toe nails and she asked for comparison photos of the toe.
"I'd taken two spaced 17 months apart, and she acknowledged that there was in fact a change.
"The line was over 3 mm in width."
Following a biopsy, he was finally given the diagnosis.
Kelly said: "I was so happy to hear the word 'in situ' as this means it's confined to the epidermis and hasn't spread."
What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it?
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.
The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable.
The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds.
People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin.
Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin.
Most experts recommend using the simple "ABCDE" rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.
There are five letters/words to remember:
A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma.
But other signs to look out for include moles that are:
How deadly is it?
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer.
The outlook of a person's disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed.
Survival is better for women than it is for men.
"We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage," says Cancer Research UK.
The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
What is melanoma?
Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin.
When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun's rays.
But melanocytes are also where cancer starts.
Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin's DNA.
The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth.
People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin.
Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.
David underwent a procedure to remove all the cancerous cells, with a skin graft taken from his thigh added to the area to give a healthy margin of skin.
Luckily, there was no residual cancer left following the treatment.
Kelly added: "We didn't tell our children until David got the all-clear as he didn't want to worry them.
"Our son was doing his GCSE so it wasn't right to worry about him.
"He's been very private during appointments and biopsies, but now he has the all-clear he feels it's important to let people know the warning signs.
"We don't want to scare people with this but just want to emphasise the importance of finding cancer early.
"Now, his toe is healing nicely and we're going on a family ski holiday in April."
Kelly has gone on to train with Skcin, a UK-based charity dedicated to the prevention and early detection of skin cancer.
The signs of subungual melanoma
Subungual melanoma, or nail melanoma, is skin cancer under your nail.
It usually appears as a dark, vertical streak on your nail.
Subungual melanoma is rare but serious.
Unlike other skin cancers, subungual melanoma isn't linked to sun exposure.
It's most likely to develop in your big toe, thumb or index finger.
It usually has a distinct shape, which some may describe it as looking like you drew a line on your nail with a black or brown marker.
It appears as a dark line on your nail and runs from bottom to top.
This streak or stripe may start small but grow to cover the entire nail and extend to the cuticle.
The line will typically get wider over time, and they can also multiply.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
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