Beauty queen mistakes deadly cancer for a bruise

A beauty queen has shared her terrifying brush with skin cancer - after mistaking a deadly melanoma for a minor bruise beneath her fingernail.

Karolina Jasko, 21, made the discovery while getting her usual acrylic nails applied when her technician pointed out the usual marking which was first passed off for a bruise.

“A few days later, my finger swelled up really bad, and I automatically thought I had some sort of infection from the nail salon,” she told Daily Mail.

This reaction triggered Karolina to visit a dermatologist, who insisted she have a biopsy on the marking, a thin line that ran from the top to the bottom of her nail.

The procedure concluded she had subungual melanoma, which is found in the tissue of the nail bed - a diagnosis as shocking as it was scary.

“It was overwhelming because everything happened so quick,” she said.

“My mum was like, ‘I can’t believe that I never even thought that it could be in your nail’.”

Treatment included surgery which removed her entire thumbnail - which Karolina said made her wear a bandaid on the thumb for nearly a year.

Although relatively rare, fingernail melanoma is often difficult to diagnose because of its similar characteristics to a bruise or fungal infection.

Symptoms include a vertical band that's a different colour than the nail, dark pigmentation and bleeding where the pigmentation is.

Since her diagnosis, Karolina has aimed to raise awareness of the condition and its detection, especially after being crowned Miss Illinois in 2018.

While the cancer was likely genetic, doctors have also suggested the UV lights used while Karolina was getting her nails done could have affected its growth.

“You can't help your genetics, but you can do a lot to prevent health issues,” she said.

“Take safety precautions, wear sunblock, and if you gets your nails done, try to avoid UV rays. Dipping powder is a great alternative.”

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