Being in the Know Could Save a Life: By Rise’ Carter
As nail techs we have to know and understand a wealth of information. Can you remember when we had to memorize all the nail disorders, diseases and causes – Tinea Unguis, Onychatrophia, Onychauxis, Leuconychia, Beau’s Lines, just to name a few.
I had looked at my father-in-law’s fingernails several years back and told him that he needed to see a doctor. He didn’t understand why I would say that just by looking at his nails. After all, he thought I was just a manicurist….ya know, “Just The Nail Girl.”
His nails were clubbed which results from chronic low blood-oxygen levels. This can be seen with cystic fibrosis, congenital cyanotic heart disease, and several other diseases. The tips of the fingers enlarge and the nails become extremely curved from front to back.
After a trip to the doctor, and being diagnosed with congenital heart disease, he thought I was either physic or brilliant.
I heard that a nail technician doing a pedicure on a client noticed an abnormal spot on her client’s leg, and recommended that she might want to get it checked out.
This is the correct way to handle anything out of the ordinary on any client. We are not there to diagnose or make recommendations on treatment, but to merely suggest that they should seek medical advice.
Anyways, the abnormal spot turned out to be melanoma!
It is important that we continue to educate ourselves on what we might be seeing on a client. Here is some basic information on skin cancers. I pulled this directly from the Mayo Clinic website:
“Basal cell carcinoma: This is the most common skin cancer. It’s also the most easily treated and the least likely to spread. Basal cell carcinoma usually appears as one of the following:
• A pearly or waxy bump on your face, ears or neck
• A flat, flesh-colored or brown scar-like lesion on your chest or back
Squamous cell carcinoma: This type of skin cancer can be easily treated if detected early, but it’s slightly more apt to spread than is basal cell carcinoma. Most often, squamous cell carcinoma appears as one of the following:
• A firm, red nodule on your face, lips, ears, neck, hands or arms
• A flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface on your face, ears, neck, hands or arms
Melanoma: This is the most serious form of skin cancer and the one responsible for most skin cancer deaths. Melanoma can develop anywhere on your body, in otherwise normal skin or in an existing mole that turns malignant. Melanoma most often appears on the trunk, head or neck of affected men. In women, this type of cancer most often develops on the arms or legs. Warning signs of melanoma include:
• A large brownish spot with darker speckles located anywhere on your body
• A simple mole located anywhere on your body that changes in color, size or feel or that bleeds
• A small lesion with an irregular border and red, white, blue or blue-black spots on your trunk or limbs
• Shiny, firm, dome-shaped bumps located anywhere on your body”
I must reiterate…Nail Technicians are only licensed to beautify the hands, and not to diagnose or treat nail diseases and disorders. Clients should always seek advice from a physician or dermatologist for a proper diagnosis and medical treatment. This doesn’t mean that when we are working so closely with our client’s bodies, we can’t be alert. It could save a life.
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