This dark line on the nail may indicate that your health is in danger.

It may not seem like it, but the nails have the important function of alerting us about our health condition. Rather than protecting tissues and making it easier for us to scratch, they act as spokespersons for our bodies and indicate relevant things about them, such as nutritional deficiencies, thyroid changes, and even some cancers.

An example is when vertical and dark lines appear, usually in black, gray or brown. Such a condition may indicate that a person has melanoma - a type of cancer considered aggressive, because cancer cells can spread rapidly through the bloodstream.

That's what happened to a client of beautician Jean Skinner, who owns a beauty salon in Uckfield, UK. The girl came to the shop asking for an enamel color that was dark enough to cover a black line that ran across her nail vertically. Seeing the woman's finger, Skinner directed her to see a dermatologist as soon as possible, as that could indicate something more serious than mere aesthetic discomfort.

Intrigued by this, the beautician posted on a social network a photo of the client's nail and warned his friends about the risks of not paying attention to the signals that the body gives. “I didn't mean to scare her, but I said she needed to see her doctor right away. She called me today to confirm that it was indeed a very aggressive melanoma and that her prognosis was not good, ”he wrote.

It is important to point out that only a dermatologist's analysis can indicate whether it is indeed a skin cancer injury. The specialist usually asks the patient to perform a biopsy when a tissue sample is taken between the cuticle and the nail. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the carrier must undergo a surgical procedure in which a larger amount of tissue is removed. In severe cases, the finger may be amputated.