C****r is one of the conditions and diseases that is most often overlooked because of the fact that it’s not common. More so, the symptoms won’t actually appear until you really reach the point where it’s observable and the point where it can be detected.
However, our nails can actually reveal a lot about our health. How? Because our nails can actually reveal a sign of melanoma or skin c****r.
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Jean Skinner, a manicurist, had experience in observing this small symptom. Last August 2017, she wrote on Facebook about her experience with a client in her salon.
I had a walk-in client a coupe of weeks ago. She had a straight dark vertical stripe down her nail. As soon as she sat down, she said – I need a dark color, dark enough to cover this stripe.”
As per her, this woman has been in different salons and other salons said that the stripe in this woman’s nail could be a blood blister, calcium deficiency, or an hereditary mark, a strange one. However, Skinner knew better and she immediately told her customer that this dark line was an actual symptom of melanoma.
What is melanoma?
Melanoma or most commonly known as nail melanoma, is a skin c****r that is often found under the nails. Don’t worry about this because as per studies by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, this condition affects only 0.7 to 3.5% of people with melanoma.
It’s rare, we know, but knowing this information is imperative because of its common and telltale sign. It’s a line across a finger or a toenail, with the common color of brown or dark black, as per the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
However, some experts oppose Skinner’s idea about this. Saying that it could not be melanoma all the time because external sources and conditions can be rooted from having a dark line vertically across a finger.
But is Skinner’s opinion correct?
Unfortunately, Skinner’s hunch about this condition is correct and the forecast about it all was not good. Later, the client called Skinner telling her that she developed aggressive melanoma and eventually spread to her lymph nodes. Meaning, the c****r was spread just because it was not treated efficiently.
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Other than this black band, are there other skin c****r symptoms we might not be aware of?
In addition to seeing the black band on your nail, another symptom of melanoma includes a darkened skin around the nail. However, that is not always the case because it could be just because of a broken nail. Other symptoms, according to the AAD include:
- Splits in the nail
- Pus in the nails/toe nails; and
- Blood/Blood clot on the nails
What should you do when you detect this mark on your nail or any of these symptoms?
According to the AAD and some experts, early diagnosis is crucial and important. So, the moment that you notice something different with your nails without thinking of something that happened, go and visit your healthcare practitioner right away.
If you see suspicious things concerning your nails or your toe nails, go and have yourself checked. If you see a mark on your nail that you think should not be there, do not hesitate and check with your doctor for you to see if that is something you should treat.
In a previous article, we talked about the traditional Japanese way of looking at the hand, specifically our palm to distinguish if a certain diseases is present for a particular person. This specific topic, however, concerns the skin having a strange vertical dark band running across it. It could be anything, it could just be your nail being dead, or it could be a damaged nail.
However, in order for you to be a hundred percent sure, go and see a doctor for you to know what that strange band running across your finger is. If it happens to be melanoma, at least you knew early and you had early chances of stopping it from spreading.
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What do you think about this? Be glad that you are now aware of this specific c****r symptom because you might not know that you already need attention because you are dealing with something heavier than just a mark on your nail. If ever you see this specific mark on your nail, don’t hesitate and consult a doctor.
