r/mildyinteresting • u/SettingPlenty295 • Mar 08 '26

science savvy 🧬 Grey line on finger

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Have had it for approx 3 yrs now. but comparing to a picture from 2 yrs ago, I’m noticing that it has become more noticeable (in color and width)

doctors of reddit help a girl out :( (also i have an upcoming appointment w/ family doctor in 2 days)

OK CLARIFICATION bc some of u are drawing conclusions on how white/pale the nails are: No, it is not Terry's. It is due to RECURRING SEVERE ANEMIA. We're talking ferritin levels of 5 and 7 that took MONTHS of treatment to get back to normal values.

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MINI UPDATE: Turns out this is clinically quite common in people with darker pigmentation like myself, and in most cases it’s just a benign mole under the nail (melanocytic naevus), especially when it's been present for a few yrs. family doctor said cancer cases are more common in people with lighter skin tones, but to be safe and 100% sure I was given a dermatology referral and the appointment has been booked!

we shan't be defeated (yet)! and to be continued ig? (thank u to everyone for the kind words and laughs <3)

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25

u/Pretend-Captain-6875 Mar 08 '26

I’ve never heard of this not being melanoma

16

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/GhostofBallersPast Mar 08 '26

I think the biggest reason to check it out as well is because it’s one of the worst type of cancer you can get.

5

u/Expensive-Document41 Mar 08 '26

That could be survivorship bias because chances are people didn't get on Reddit or wherever to clarify that it wasn't melanoma afterwards or only the cases where it was melanoma but they didn't discuss it pre-diagnosis make it to Reddiy.

Essentially, you only hear about the cases with the worst outcomes because those that were unremarkable were never reported or never followed up on.

1

u/Pretend-Captain-6875 Mar 08 '26

That’s fair

1

u/ExhibitionMountain Mar 08 '26

It was for me. Should have acted sooner. Get a light chain test.

1

u/13thmurder Mar 10 '26

There's other things it can be. I know someone who has this and what she has is nothing malignant, but she only found out that it can be melanoma when her doctor noticed it and sent her to get it checked.