Mum issues stark warning after 'funny' black line on nail turned out to be first sign of cancer
A mum-of-three has revealed that the black line under her acrylic nail was the first sign of a serious type of skin cancer.
Lucy Thompson, from Hull, East Yorkshire, said she noticed the 'funny' black line under her left thumb after popping off her orange, ombre acrylic nails in April 2023.
She said the line on her nail looked a bit like a bruise, as if she 'banged it or trapped it in a door'.
"A straight, thin line just appeared and I remember thinking 'that looks a bit odd'," she said. "I'd had them on for about two weeks just to see friends.
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"I was aware of it and thought 'I'll just keep an eye on it' but wasn't worried."
However, the 35-year-old's friend urged her to get it seen to, and after a few weeks, Lucy's GP referred her to a hospital for further tests, with concerns that the line could be a sign of a rare type of skin cancer.
Although her initial tests came back inconclusive, a second biopsy confirmed that the cells were definitely pre-cancerous, which they removed from her nail bed.
According to Lucy, doctors believed that the cells may have developed into cancer and spread throughout her body if she hadn't spotted the mark.
Lucy said: "If left untreated, there was a really high possibility that it would've become skin cancer. It would've turned into subungual melanoma."
According to the Cleveland Clinic, subungual melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops underneath your nail bed, with its most common symptom being a 'black or brown streak' on your nail.
Other signs may include a split, cracked or deformed nail, having irregular pigment, or experiencing swelling and inflammation.
"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," they added.
When Lucy was told it was potentially cancer, she immediately thought the worst.
"It was really tough. My first thought was 'who's going to look after my kids like I can?'. That's what I was scared of. I didn't want to leave my kids," she explained.
Lucy now urges people with marks underneath their nails to get them checked immediately - just to be safe.
"The chances are it'll be nothing, but if it is something, the sooner you get seen, the sooner you can get it treated," she explained.
She continued to say that when people see it, they 'just think it's a weird line' and don't get it checked out, which is why she thinks the condition 'doesn't have a high survival rate'.
"Luckily, I haven't had anything since." she added. "I regularly have a check of all my nails now. I only rarely get my nails done now and if I do I only have them on for a week or so."
Lucy said that 'the more you put it off, the more dangerous it can be'.
"I have a lot of friends that get their nails done all the time and just get infills, and I've always said 'tell [the manicurist] to take the lot off' so they can check their nailbeds." she continued.
"I always make sure everybody is aware."
Anish Vij