An Ohio mother-of-two made a life-saving discovery after she noticed black lines on her thumb while at a nail appointment.
Michelle Tagliamonte, 58, first noticed the faint lines running across her right thumb in September 2024 shortly before getting monthly manicure.
The health coach and nutrition educator recalled: ‘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. I took some photos of the lines and then I decided to get my nails done.
While she expected the marks would grow out by her next manicure appointment in October 2024, she was surprised to see them become more prominent and decided to get it checked as a precautionary measure.
After a trip to her dermatologist and a biopsy, the health coach was diagnosed with melanoma in her finger.
Michelle Tagliamonte, 58, discovered she had stage zero melanoma in her right thumb after she noticed black lines on her thumb while at a nail appointment
Ms Tagliamonte was diagnosed with stage zero melanoma, also referred to as melanoma in situ. This stage is when the cancer cells are contained just to the epidermis – the very outer layer of the skin – and have not yet moved into the deeper layers of skin.
Stage zero melanoma, diagnosed in about 89,000 people in 2023, is considered a non-invasive cancer, meaning it has spread to other tissues.
With a very high survival rate – 98 percent – the cancerous area is removed surgically.
In most cases, treatments such as chemotherapy are not required, but if not cured but surgery, some doctors may suggest undergoing radiation therapy to kill the cancerous cells.
On January 17, Tagliamonte underwent a four-hour operation during which her right thumbnail was removed and a plastic surgeon took a skin graft from the bottom of her thumb to place over the bone and tendon where her missing nail now left them exposed.
She was left with a large incision and stitches running down the side of her hand following surgery.
She first noticed the faint lines running across her right thumb in September 2024. Images show her thumb bloodied with a large incision and stitches
On January 17, Tagliamonte underwent a four-hour operation to remove the cancer
She explained: ‘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.
‘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.’
She will now be left without a right thumbnail for life but says there is no permanent nerve damage.
Tagliamonte said: ‘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.
‘[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.
She will now be left without a right thumbnail for life
She has since spent her time healing and is now urging others to trust their own intuition and get themselves checked
‘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 pants or put on my own bra.
She has since spent her time healing and is now urging others to trust their own intuition and get themselves checked if they notice any changes in their body.
‘I am very grateful that I caught it at stage zero and it was localized. 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,’ she gratefully said.
Experts have warned of the dangers of the use of UV light used to seal some nail polish during professional manicures, saying it can potentially increase the risk of cancer.
While some nail lamps are called ‘UV’ lamps and some are called LED lamps, both emit UV radiation that produce UVA rays.
Excessive exposure to UV rays can damage the DNA in skin cells, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and the development of tumors, including melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.
While both UVA and UVB rays contribute to skin cancer, with UVB being more directly linked to sunburn while UVA can penetrate deeper into the skin and contribute to long-term damage and aging.
