Could this be melanoma ?

[Wellbeing24]

Hi all, I'm hoping there may be someone with medical knowledge online who can advise/reassure me as I'm stressing myself out.....sorry for the photo, it does look 🙄horrid....the nail on my big toe, after removing the nail polish this is what is underneath..... it looks awful 😖

It looks like a nail infection. Out of interest are your feet in water a lot?
Go see your GP.

Thank you for message. No they are not, I know Dr Google is never a good option so I've scared myself 😔absolutely will be asking for GP advice but the online form isn't available until 6am on Monday....

Did you drop something on your toes a few weeks ago or worrn news shoes?

Have you tried 111 - see what they say

Not sure what it is, but I'm guessing its an infection but please do see a professiona;

Not sure if a chemist can look at it

Good luck

Definitely no injury that I can recall and no new shoes, I didn't think of asking a pharmacist to look at it, thank you for the suggestion 😊

If you don't have any luck getting GP appointment,find a podiatrist.

I think it tends to be more vertical than horizontal but definitely get it checked out.

Could be a fungal infection. See a podiatrist. Some areas you can self-refer to one on the NHS. It will be quicker to pay privately though.

Most NHS trusts these days will only do podiatry or chiropody referral for diabetics, and they take ages. I have been to a local podiatrist for several things, pain in the bottom of my foot for instance... turned out to be a trapped nerve in my lower back.

Melanomas tend to form vertical lines as they originate in the nail bed and grow up with the nail. I don't think that a melanoma could grow across the nail like that. It looks like either trauma or fungus and the bottom part of the nail, below the discoloration looks fine and so this may just grow out.

Looks like you have dropped something on it where the black line is and then the top part above has lifted away from the nail bed.

I've had this and the whole nail lifted off- dropped a wheelie bin!

I've also had fungal nail infections and it didn't look like this. It was yellow and opaque but thick and crumbly. The and trim it down as far is it will go and see if there is a change in texture.

If it's fungal nail it will spread downwards and laterally. If it trauma damage it will grow out.

I've just took off my Biab nail varnish on my finger tips and have green. A quick google said it was an infection. Never ever had anything like this before. It says to soak in tea tree oil and it will go. Worth a shot before you diagnose yourself with something serious??

Green nail syndrome

God morning OP

Did you mange the chemists etc, is it going away?

Take care.

Hello all, thanks so much for messages, I really appreciate it. A private podiatrist appt isn't an option for me, I am applying clotrimazole cream (just in case) until I can arrange a GP appointment, no trauma whatsoever that I am aware of unless I have inadvertently kicked DP during the night 😅 I've also read online that Vicks vapour rub is worth a try if it was a fungal infection? Has anyone tried that?

I think you've damaged the nail bed without realising it op. I sometimes get similar but only when I wear narrow shoes or shoes that push my toes forward (heels). They take bloody ages to grow out. I don't think it's anything to worry about as melanoma in that area doesn't present like that and you have a healthy area that looks like it's already started growing out.