You have probably already heard about melanoma and how terrible it is. It is easy to take steps to avoid any chance of this happening to you. You buy sunscreen with the highest SPF, take two showers a day, and you’re even into the whole dry brushing trend. However, most people don’t even know how to identify the possible signs of melanoma.
First and foremost, melanoma is a form of skin cancer that typically occurs on and in the skin. While this is usually visible and appear as large red blotchy patches, these can occur in the mouth, eyes, and even the intestine. In most cases of melanoma, symptoms can appear in the most subtle and insidious of ways.
Often, it’s already too late by the time you’ll notice and the cancer would have spread to the rest of the body. Keeping aware of these various complex symptoms could save your life.
1. Dark streaks under your nails
Melanoma is typically characterized by the appearance of spots and bumps on the skin. However, it turns out these can appear in between your nails too. If you think your nails are due for a cleaning, you might want to double-check if these are already signs of melanoma.
Melanoma can form as a narrow, dark streak under the nail. This usually develops on the thumb or on the big toe. However, this can also spread on any or throughout all nails. In some rare cases, these can accumulate in all nails on both fingers and toes. Once nodules begin to form, it is likely that the cancer is already spreading deeply on the rest of the skin.
While this can occur in individuals of any race, this symptom is more apparent in black individuals. This particular symptom is usually a sign of acral lentiginous melanoma, a distinct type of melanoma.
