Skin cancer warning: THIS mark on your nails could be a symptom of deadly condition
SKIN cancer symptoms usually include moles, lumps and ulcers that change in appearance, however a dark stripe - or stripes - running down a nail could be a sign of a particular form of melanoma.
Skin cancer warning: Mark on nail could be a sign of melanoma
Skin cancer is one of the most deadly conditions in the UK, killing over 2,500 people a year.
Rates are on the rise, and thought to be due to an increase in unprotected sun exposure.
Melanoma is a rare, but deadly, type of the condition.
Symptoms that most people normally think of include moles, lumps and ulcers that change in appearance.
However, a photo on social media which has recently gone viral showed that there is another symptom we should be aware of.
Skin cancer warning: A dark stripe running down nail could be a symptom
A strong dark line running through the middle of a nail could be symptom of melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Jean Skinner, a nail technician from Essex, posted a photo of a thumbnail with a strong dark line running through the middle.
She wrote: “I had a walk-in nail client a couple weeks ago, and she had a straight dark vertical stripe down her nail.”
The woman had been told by other people it was likely due to a lack of calcium or a blood blister.
However, Skinner immediately knew that it probably indicated melanoma.
Skin cancer warning: Well-known symptoms include moles that change appearance
“I did not want to frighten my client, but I told her she needed to see her doctor immediately,” she wrote.
“She called me today to tell me that, yes, the dark stripe indicated a very aggressive melanoma, and that it has already spread to her lymph nodes.”
Sadly the woman’s prognosis is not looking good, and if she had visited a doctor earlier her outlook may be better.
Skinner urged people to be aware of the little-known symptom and to pay attention to any changes in their nail beds.
What are the signs and symptoms of skin cancer?
Skin cancer warning: Rates of skin cancer are rising
According to the NHS, fingernail abnormalities can reveal a lot about a person’s health.
Dark stripes running down the finger nail are common in black people over 20 years old and are rarely a cause for concern.
However, they shouldn’t be ignored as it can sometimes be a symptom of skin cancer - subungual melanoma.
The type usually only affects one nail, and it can also cause the appearance of the stripe to change.