 A woman asks Salon about black nail. They act quickly to save her life. What started as a salon visit ended in her worst nightmare. As she sat in the hospital waiting room, she stared at the small black mark on her nail. How on earth did it come to this? Melissa Benson was on her way home from work when she found herself pulling over to the side of the road. She wasn't quite sure what made her do it, but things hadn't been great at home and she didn't want to get into it with her husband after a hard day. So she turned and headed to the salon. If only she'd known it wouldn't be for the relaxing experience she'd hoped for. When Melissa arrived, she asked to see Sergio, her regular nail technician. But as she expected, her bad luck struck again. He was sick that day. Lisa Williams who was new at the salon offered to step in. Melissa who was really hoping to get some things off her chest with Sergio but also felt like she needed some pampering so she sat down with Lisa. But the new technician was making her feel uncomfortable. I'd like a darker color than usual please," said Melissa. I've got this black line from when I shut my finger in the door and I'd like to cover it. Right," replied Lisa apprehensively. Melissa was getting a weird vibe. Maybe she should just go and come back when Sergio is feeling better. But Lisa wouldn't let her go. So, you say it happened in an accident, Lisa asked, trying not to worry Melissa as she got to work on her other nails. Yes, Melissa replied, wondering why Lisa was so curious about the mark. She had already told her what happened. But it was a while ago now. Is it something I should be worried about? I'm sure it's nothing. It could just be a calcium deficiency that's hindering the nail's recovery," offered Lisa, in an attempt to calm down her client, who she'd clearly worried. Impassable, said Melissa. My doctor told me I drink too much milk. In that case, Lisa said reluctantly, I think there's something you should hear. I think you should get it checked out by a doctor," insisted Lisa. Melissa had already had the worst day. While with her marital difficulties and work worries, her anxiety was already brimming over. This was supposed to be a relaxing visit to the salon to decompress. But now she was more stressed out than ever. Before she knew it, she'd passed out right there in the salon chair. As she drifted in and out of consciousness in the ambulance, Melissa tried to make sense of how her day could have ended so badly. She could hear the paramedics reassuring her that everything would be all right. But she couldn't help but fixate on what Lisa had been saying about her nail in the salon. Then, everything went black. Melissa woke up in the hospital. The doctors told her that she had a severe panic attack and that caused her to faint. Before long, Melissa was feeling well enough to get out of bed and check out of the hospital. But before she could leave, the nurse informed her she had a visitor. It was Lisa and she didn't come with good news. Lisa had informed the nurse about Melissa's black nail and they gave it a look while she was in the bed. And in the nurse's opinion, it didn't look good. After making sure Melissa was comfortable and not at risk of another panic attack, a proper analysis determined that Melissa had cancer. But the really scary thing was what caused it. Subungal melanoma, subungal is the medical term for under the nail, is caused by injury or trauma, not by the sun like other visible forms of cancer. A black line, nail cracking, bleeding and brittleness can all be signs of this rare type of cancer which is hard to differentiate from normal nail bruising. Luckily for Melissa, early detection stopped the cancer from spreading and thanks to Lisa, she was given the all clear. Do you have a dark nail or another anomaly on your body? Don't panic, just book an appointment with your physician and get yourself checked out as soon as possible, especially if you are over 50 or have darker skin.