Sam Amico
A California woman said she contracted a rare form of nail cancer that was caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV, after receiving a manicure.
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Grace Garcia, 50, said she developed the cancer after visiting a new salon, as her regular one was closed. It was caused by a nick to the cuticle of her right ring finger, she alleged.
“(The nail technician) cut me, and the cut wasn’t just a regular cuticle cut,” Garcia told Today.com. “She cut me deep, and that was one of the first times that happened to me. I’ve been doing (my nails) for years and years and years. I was upset.”
Garcia added that the finger did not heal for three days. Multiple doctor visits followed before she was finally referred to a dermatologist months later.
Woman Contracts HPV-Related Nail Cancer
One such dermatologist, Dr. Teo Soleymani of UCLA Health Center, eventually made a diagnosis of cancer. “She had squamous cell carcinoma,” Soleymani told Fox 11 Los Angeles. “Hers was caused by high–risk HPV.”
Thankfully, Soleymani was able to remove the cancer and no further surgery has been required.
“Interestingly, almost every single skin cancer I’ve dealt with that involved fingers or nails … have been associated with high-risk HPV,” Soleymani said. “That is alarming — and it’s in younger patients.”
Garcia said her persistence in figuring out what was wrong paid off, urging others who experience similar weirdness after visiting salons to take action.
“I fought all the way from day one because I knew something was wrong,” she said.
