A leading dermatologist has warned patients to pay close attention to their nail beds as a subtle change could indicate melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Dermatologist Lindsey Zubritsky, known on Instagram as @dermguru, warned her 1.2 million followers to be wary of dark marks under their fingernails and toenails.
“If you have a dark pigmented vertical line running down your nail, you absolutely need to get it checked out,” she said.
This is because the dark lines could be subungual melanoma, a rare type of disease that develops under the nail.
This type of condition can easily go unnoticed, as the telltale sign is often mistaken for a bruise, Dr. Zubritsky warns.
Dermatologist Lindsey Zubritsky, or @dermguru on Instagram, has warned her 1.2 million followers to be wary of dark marks under their nails, which could be a type of melanoma.
The dark lines could be subungual melanoma, a rare type of skin cancer that develops under the nail.
Subungual melanomas commonly appear as a dark brown or black streak.
The nail may also become thicker, separate from the nail bed, and split in half.
Another worrying sign of the disease (which accounts for about one in 30 cases of melanoma) is if pigmentation begins to appear and discolor the skin beyond the nail.
But if the thickness of the nail changes and becomes yellowish, it could be another type of nail cancer called onychomatricoma.
Subungual melanomas usually appear as a dark brown or black streak. The nail may also thicken, separate from the nail bed, and split in half due to the cancer, which accounts for about one in 30 cases of melanoma.
Not all dark lines on the nail are dangerous, many people have a benign line, he explains.
But black spots and streaks are not necessarily a sign of cancer.
Most commonly, they are a sign of a skin condition, a wart, or microtrauma (a painless injury that can occur when your toe repeatedly hits your shoe).
It could also be a harmless pigmentation called longitudinal melanonychia.
‘Not all dark stripes on the nail are dangerous, many people have a benign stripe on the nail called longitudinal melanonychia, which is totally normal,’ Dr. Zubritsky adds in the video.
“It’s more likely to be benign if it’s lighter, doesn’t change color, is on multiple nails, or if you have a darker skin tone,” she said.
It also shouldn’t be confused with a subungual hematoma, which is when blood gets trapped under the nail and usually goes away over time, she added.
But Dr. Zubritsky “pleaded” with his followers to “visit a dermatologist if you have anything new or changing on your skin, and don’t forget to check your nails.”