Our Two Cents · gdoc:1OFtI4N2FAIDy3IMVv5yoKzfpzny63ZcQxvSqEXX7aCYAwareness
A dark line running down a nail shows up more often on melanated skin, and it's almost always completely normal.
The claim under examination
A dark line running down a nail — melanonychia — shows up more often on melanated skin, and it's almost always completely normal.
Derivation
Here's why it's still worth knowing about: there's a melanoma subtype that can look nearly the same.
What it actually applies to
Acral lentiginous melanoma is disproportionately how melanoma shows up on Black skin, and it tends to get caught later than on lighter skin.
What the science supports
This one isn't ours to diagnose, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
Not ours to diagnose → AAD
The AAD has a clear, dermatologist-written guide on what to check for and when to get seen:
AAD · Nail melanoma guide →Receipts · 3
gdoc:1OFtI4N2FAIDy3IMVv5yoKzfpzny63ZcQxvSqEXX7aCY ·
https://rootandreign.co/two-cents/melanonychia