A MUM claims her monthly manicures “saved her life” after noticing a strange symptom during an appointment.
Michelle Tagliamonte, 58, spotted faint black lines on the nail of her her right thumb while getting a manicure in September last year.
But when the marks hadn’t grown out by her next nail session a month later, the mum-of-two decided to get it checked out as a precautionary measure.
After a trip to her dermatologist and a biopsy, the health coach was diagnosed with stage zero melanoma in her finger.
Michelle underwent a four-hour operation and skin graft on January 17 to have the cancer removed.
Graphic photos show the 58-year-old’s thumb bloodied with a large incision and stitches running down the side of her hand following surgery.
The nutrition educator will now be left without a right thumbnail for life.
But she claims getting her nails painted saved her life as it allowed her to catch the cancer at its earliest stage.
Now healing well, Michelle is sharing her story to urge anyone with even subtle changes to get themselves checked out.
Michelle, from Centreville, Ohio, US, said: “The first time I noticed it [the mark] was in September.
“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.
“It could have been in there for six months, it could have been in there for longer, I have no idea.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Skin cancer symptoms you should NEVER ignore, with Dr Philippa Kaye” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6339255134112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“I took some photos of the lines and then I decided to get my nails done.
“I then saw them again in October [when I got my nails done again] and the lines hadn’t grown out.
“The lines were continuing to come from the base of the nail so I thought I should get it checked out.
“I found out around Thanksgiving that it was melanoma.
“What the dermatologist was seeing was discoloration at the base of my thumb nail and whatever was causing this black line in my nail was coming from inside the growth plate down from inside my nail.
“I was very confident it was nothing so when I got the diagnosis I was very shocked it was melanoma.
“The nail appointment absolutely saved my life. I am glad that I noticed it and then I pursued to get it checked out.”
According to Cancer Research UK, stage zero melanoma is also referred to as melanoma in situ, is when the cancer cells only lie in the top layer of the skin.
In these cases, surgery is the main treatment to have the cancer removed.
During Michelle’s operation, a plastic surgeon hand specialist took a skin graft from the bottom of her thumb to place over her exposed tendon and bone after they removed the cancer from her finger.
Michelle said she was “freaked out” at the idea of surgeons having to remove her nail.
She recalled: “I was more worried about what they were going to have to do to get rid of it and the surgery itself. 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 and they had to create a skin graft so when they had to dig out the melanoma, the bone and the tendon was exposed so they had to put some flesh back in it.
“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.”
‘Listen to your intuition’
Michelle had to get used to doing things differently after the surgery but has come to terms with not having a right thumbnail.
“[Since surgery], there is no permanent nerve damage. I have a scar that runs down my thumb and the skin is still healing and new skin is forming under the skin graft.
“I’m right-handed so the worst part was not being able to use this hand. For the first couple of weeks I couldn’t button my own trousers or put on my own bra.”
[boxout headline=”Signs of melanoma in your nails “]Subungual melanoma, or nail melanoma, is skin cancer under your nail.
It usually appears as a dark, vertical streak on your nail.
Subungual melanoma is rare but serious.
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.
It usually has a distinct shape, which some may describe it as looking like you drew a line on your nail with a black or brown marker.
It appears as a dark line on your nail and runs from bottom to top.
This streak or stripe may start small but grow to cover the entire nail and extend to the cuticle.
The line will typically get wider over time, and they can also multiply.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
Michelle is now urging others to trust their own intuition and get themselves checked out if they notice any changes in their body.
Michelle said: “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 just say don’t take anything for granted. 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.”
