A woman with nails biting habit has thumb amputated after developing cancer

A student with a chronic habit of nail biting has had a thumb amputated after developing cancer.

Courtney Whithorn, 20, who lives in Australia, has bitten her nails throughout her life. But intense bullying in high school has made it a debilitating habit, reported MailOnline. She chewed her thumb so often that she was completely detached once and hid the numbers of her friends and family for four years.

Forced to face his problem when his fingernail became black, Whithorn visited a doctor who recommended that he do a transplant to remove the black spot. But a biopsy revealed that a rare form of cancer persisted in his nail bed.

The doctors diagnosed Whithorn with acral lentihalous melanoma, a form of skin cancer that develops on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet or under the nail (known as subungual melanoma). According to the Society of Dermatology of Primary Care, the disease is rare in Caucasians, but more common among people from East Asia. Whithorn is also younger than most people who have an average age of 40 years. Cancer can cause the appearance of a black or brown patch on the skin.

Courtney Whithorn has developed a habit of nail biting after being bullied. Getty Images

Because the form of cancer is so rare and the disease has spread to the lymph nodes, specialists have advised Whithorn to undergo amputation.

She told MailOnline: "I'm still waiting for this series of results from last week's operation and if it's clear, the surgeon will monitor me for the next five years and I regularly receive analyzes and blood.

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However, it is unlikely that Whithorn's nail bite caused the cancer.

Dr. Walayat Hussain, of the British Association of Dermatologists, stated Newsweek: "The nibbling of the nails probably did not cause melanoma.

"Injuries and chronic inflammations are indeed a risk factor for the development of skin cancer and cases of underlying melanoma induced by trauma have however been described."

Serious nail biting can cause health problems, from dental problems to infections.

Under the nail, a family of bacteria, including potentially dangerous salmonella and E. coli, can hide, said Richard Scher, MD, a specialist in nail disorders at Weill Cornell Medical College and a member of the American Academy of Medicine. dermatology. Time.

Nibbling can cause skin tearing and make a person vulnerable to an infection called paronychia, which can pull the pus out of the finger.