Britt Jones
A woman who showed off a peculiar detail on her body was told to immediately seek help after online commenters noticed something.
Social media has been used to diagnose a lot of conditions that people don’t know about.
While it’s not the method you should be going for, when it comes to things that initially seem harmless but odd, the internet can be a great place to get a collective opinion.
Now, you might think this is a rare occurrence, but it happens more often than you’d think.
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Not too long ago, a woman who shared an image of her thumb on Reddit was urged to speak to a medical professional by concerned users.
When we don’t know the symptoms of things, it’s OK to get an opinion before seeking medical advice for confirmation... just like this person has done.
The Redditor, who actually put the image of her thumb and toe in the same subreddit as the woman above, revealed this strange black line on both nails and seemingly wondered if anyone could tell her what they mean.
She explained on r/mildlyinteresting: “These black lines on my thumb and my toe.”
While she might have only thought the lines were ‘mildly interesting’, commenters immediately warned her that those lines are sometimes seen in people with a life-threatening condition.
As per Healthline, having a dark line on your fingernails or toenails can come from a condition called melanonychia - a type of melanoma skin cancer.
The NHS says that the primary cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light, which comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.
Usually, moles and discoloured patches on the skin can indicate its presence, though everyone experiences cancer in their own way.
Another woman was diagnosed with melanoma after noticing black lines under her thumb nail during a manicure.
In the comments, many people urged her to seek help after seeing the black lines, telling her it could potentially be dangerous.
Aggressive cancer can be very hard to treat and rapidly spread to other parts of the body, so early prevention or detection is essential.
One person wrote: "I had the same thing on my big toe about a year ago. My primary care took one look and said, 'We should do a biopsy... it could be cancer'. Well, turned out he was right and we found out it was malignant carcinoma.
"Thankfully we caught it way early and luckily I only lost the toe. Multiple treatments and mountains of debt later, I am cancer free. In short, get it checked ASAP."
Another warned: "Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer you could possibly get. So yes, sacrificing a nail or multiple if it means catching it early should be 100 percent worth it."
However, one person shared their own medical opinion, writing: "Foot doc here. I biopsy a few of these every month.
"While they can be melanoma, they usually are not. I would have them evaluated and biopsy them regardless. But don’t go and jump off a bridge because Reddit diagnosed you with a melanoma…"
Another user, who said they were a 'general surgeon', also chimed in with: "Chances of this person having two melanomas in two nail beds at the same time is virtually zero. But obviously reasonable to biopsy."
If you feel like you have something new on your body that’s either changing or isn’t going away, it's advised you book an appointment with your GP.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.