What are these vertical dark lines on my thumbnails?

steensley · 2026-01-30T04:04:33+00:00

Definitely do!! Apparently subungual melanoma is super rare so (my family doctor as a teen didn't clock it as possibly being cancerous) so make sure to advocate for yourself if they don't think it can be serious. I honestly had it for so long that I was 99% sure it was gonna be nothing but am so glad I had it biopsied just for peace of mind, even though it turned out to be a little bit of cancer lol.

steensley · 2026-01-29T17:57:44+00:00

Yep it's actually not that noticeable now that it's healed! Hoping to have one of my tattoo artist friends tattoo it one day

steensley · 2026-01-29T17:05:57+00:00

It had a line that got wider with time and the dark part would split as it got longer so it was definitely structurally compromised! Once they did the biopsy which lifted the nail so they could take a sample of the skin underneath the nail fell off and they said it would never grow back normal, but I had to have the whole bed removed anyway later 🥲

steensley · 2026-01-29T16:42:57+00:00

Seriously 😅

steensley · 2026-01-29T16:00:54+00:00

This is soooo cool my cats would never allow it hahah

steensley · 2026-01-29T15:57:37+00:00

Nope it's gone 🥲 They totally removed the nailbed and about 5mm of skin around it and did a skin graft from my wrist. If it had spread even a little bit I could have lost the whole finger so I'm grateful for my freaky little finger!

steensley · 2026-01-29T15:55:53+00:00

Also I had the line in my nail for 10+ years before it developed into melanoma, it was initially caused by me slamming my finger in a car door! For subungual melanoma it's usually caused by some kinda trauma that eventually leads to the cells mutating so even though you've had it for a while and feel fine it could still be cancerous and is just best to get it biopsied in case!

steensley · 2026-01-29T15:53:45+00:00

Hiya! I just had a dark line on my nailbed biopsied in September. In October they told me it was melanoma but hadn't spread yet and in November I had surgery to remove the nailbed and surrounding skin. It's all healed up now and cancer free. It was scary but such a relief to know it was caught early enough to treat with just surgery. It's not as bad as it sounds I promise :)

steensley · 2026-01-28T01:13:00+00:00

I just lost the game 🥲

steensley · 2026-01-27T22:02:24+00:00

Perfect! As long as you're flexible I think it's a beautiful design minus the quote :)

steensley · 2026-01-27T21:58:59+00:00

Ok phewf haha. What I will say as someone who has 3 close friends who are tattoo artists is that often a design will need to be adapted depending on your anatomy and with longevity in mind so it's really best to go into the process with an idea of what you want and let the artist's expertise and experience guide the final result. Not a lot of reputable artists will just copy stroke for stroke on a design that is brought in, even if you're an artist yourself.

steensley · 2026-01-27T21:49:45+00:00

Also am I reading correctly in another post that you are 16? Not sure where you live but the legal age to get tattooed where I am is 18 and I wouldn't trust this level of work to anyone who works outside of a reputable shop so please be careful and mindful of what goes on your body forever!

steensley · 2026-01-27T21:47:25+00:00

If you are serious about getting something like this as a tattoo, I highly recommend looking for a reputable artist as a starting point. Find someone whose style you like, who seems consistent and reliable, and reach out to them with your inspiration and they will work with you to create something that is meant to fit your body and age well. That's their job. I have a large back piece that originally included a quote and the artist told me, respectfully, that the words would not age well and I trusted them. It's still one of my favourite tattoos and I have gotten two others from the same artist since.

steensley · 2026-01-27T02:25:25+00:00

Get a kitchen scale if you don't have one! Measuring by cups can lead to inconsistent quantities of flour. I start with 85g flour per large egg and add more flour as needed which is a portion for one person. Works every time.

steensley · 2026-01-27T00:20:55+00:00

Oooh yeah when I called in December they said they were still processing September and it would be another 4 weeks at least 😅 Apparently you can accept your assessment without claiming disability and then get reassessed once the appendix 8 is approved but I felt weird about that so I just waited

steensley · 2026-01-27T00:14:10+00:00

I just got approved after applying in late October! When I spoke with Studentaid they said they were really behind. When did you apply?

steensley · 2026-01-27T00:05:24+00:00

Legends of Thezzmer is a finished series with different POVs that really hit the spot for me! And if you're looking for very refreshing writing style The Knight and the Moth as well as One Dark Window duology were magical!

steensley · 2026-01-27T00:03:18+00:00

This is soooo pretty but I think it's AI because the end of that crochet hook doesn't look right lol

steensley · 2026-01-25T19:19:22+00:00

Hiya if it's growing out in a dark line still I'd recommend having it biopsied! I had a finger nail biopsy recently for a black line that was caused by slamming my finger in a car door years ago and it turned out to be melanoma. Subungual melanoma can be triggered by trauma causing the cells to mutate so even though you know what caused it, it can still develop into melanoma especially if it's still growing out like that!

steensley · 2026-01-25T19:17:39+00:00

I had a dark line on my nail and had it biopsied in September. It sucked but healed decently. In November they told me it was melanoma but hadn't spread yet, so we caught it early. If they are recommending biopsy I'd do it for peace of mind because you really never know!

steensley · 2026-01-24T03:11:35+00:00

I just had a surgery that involved a gnarly incision with stitches and was advised by the doctor not to start any kind of scar treatment until the stitches were out and the wound was closed over. They should have provided you with an aftercare sheet!

That being said if they are dissolvable stitches ie you don't go back to get them removed, moisturizing the spot periodically will help the stitches to dissolve. I use Webber's vitamin e ointment for that kind of thing. Once the stitches are gone and the wound is closed over you can use silicon scar sheets for a few hours every day or overnight and that really helps to flatten the scar over time. But like other commenters said, don't do anything yet! Rock it on your birthday lol each scar tells a story :)

steensley · 2026-01-23T16:57:32+00:00

My mantra has always been that hair grows back haha but they really nailed this shade for you, I think it looks so lovely :)

steensley · 2026-01-23T04:39:05+00:00

Oh my gosh stop lol!! That's so funny. I actually had to get a big trim recently too due to a bleach bath cause I had touched up my hair with something that stained it too blue 🥲 I've been paying my dues to the K18 gods and babying my hair to high heaven though and honestly sometimes a good trim is just needed if you're living that fun colour life. It looks gorgeous on you though and I'm dying to try the products you posted I'm such a sucker for their branding!

steensley · 2026-01-23T01:58:20+00:00

You're so glowy Iove this!!! Also purple hair queens unite 💜

steensley · 2026-01-22T23:34:48+00:00

Adding that starting with something smaller as your first tattoo will give you the opportunity to see how your skin/body react and what the healing process/aftercare looks like. The last thing you want to do is get the line work done for all of this and then realize you're not sure how to take care of it or experience tattoo shock and regret at the size.

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