Olivia Burke
A woman has told how she believes her monthly manicure 'saved her life' after she spotted some bizarre black lines appear on her thumbnail.
Michelle Tagliamonte explained she first noticed the strange sight during a nail appointment in September last year - and by the time she was due back, they hadn't gone away.
As the lines 'hadn't grown out' after four weeks, the 58-year-old decided to get checked out by a doctor.
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The US woman, from Centreville, Ohio, explained that she first noticed the unusual marks on her right thumbnail five months ago.
"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," she said.
"It could have been in there for six months, it could have been in there for longer, I have no idea. I took some photos of the lines and then I decided to get my nails done."
As the lines lingered and were 'continuing to come from the base of the nail' when she returned for her next nail session in October, Michelle headed to the doctor.
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"I found out around Thanksgiving that it was melanoma," the mother-of-two said, explaining that medics informed her it was stage zero.
According to Cancer Research UK, this is also referred to as 'melanoma in situ' and it means that the cancer cells only lie in the top layer of the skin, AKA the epidermis.
It explains that although these cells are still cancerous and have the potential to 'develop into invasive cancer', they cannot spread to other parts of the body.
The main treatment for this kind of melanoma is surgery so that the cancer can be removed.
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In Michelle's case, this meant that medics were forced to permanently remove her thumbnail during an intense four-hour operation and skin graft surgery on 17 January this year.
The health coach explained: "The dermatologist was seeing discolouration at the base of my thumbnail, and whatever was causing this black line was coming from inside the growth plate, down from inside my nail."
Speaking of losing her nail, she added: I had no idea about this, so I freaked out. I was very confident it was nothing, so when I got the diagnosis I was very shocked it was melanoma."
This is why she is so 'grateful' that she kept up with her manicure ritual, as the observations she made while getting her nails done allowed her to catch it early.
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"The nail appointment absolutely saved my life," she said. "I am glad that I noticed it and then I pursued to get it checked out."
During Michelle's operation, a plastic surgeon who specialises in hand work took a skin graft from the bottom of her thumb, which was placed over her exposed tendon and bone after they removed the cancer from her finger.
"I was more worried about what they were going to have to do to get rid of it and the surgery itself," she said of the procedure. "This was scary.
"The melanoma was in the growth plate [in my thumb] down to my first knuckle. This is where they had to cut out.
"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."
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Luckily, she hasn't suffered any permanent nerve damage and the 'worst part' of her ordeal was relying on her left hand instead of her right, according to Michelle.
"For the first couple of weeks, I couldn't button my own pants or put on my own bra," she recalled. "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 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."
A black line on your nail could be down to something simple like a splinter haemorrhage - however, it could also be a sign of a more serious health condition.
According to Healthline, you should get checked out by a doctor if you spot a 'streak or band on your nail', and these are most commonly found on the thumb or big toe of your dominant hand or foot.
"If the skin around the nail is darkened, the melanoma could be more advanced," it explains. "It is also possible for the nail to split or begin separating from the nail bed."
As well as being a cautionary tale, Michelle's story is a great excuse to keep up with your manicure routine.