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This woman developed skin cancer after biting her nails for years

We’ve all fallen victim to the (bad) habit of nail-biting at some point, and whether you’re over it because it’s super gross or still nibbling away at your fingers without even realising, Courtney Whithorn’s story could be a wake-up call for us all. And a warning: you’re about to get seriously grossed out.

Australian student Courtney spent years biting her  nails in response to stress and bullying at school, and at one point, went so hard on her right thumbnail that the entire thing came off.

She then decided to go under the knife to enhance what was left of the thumb cosmetically.

“I saw two plastic surgeons, and they were thinking to remove my nail bed to get rid of the black and then put a skin graft over it so at least it would be skin colour — I was happy with that,” she told  The Sun.

“But before my first surgery to remove the nail bed, the doctors could tell something was wrong and decided to do a biopsy.”

After further tests, the doctors rule that she had actually contracted a type of skin cancer caused by her long period of chewing her fingers.

The doctors performed the original operation and also removed two lymph nodes to ensure the cancer wouldn’t spread. However, professionals found that it was on the cusp of getting a whole lot worse for Courtney, so the only option left was to amputate.

Her thumb has now been amputated above the knuckle, and she’ll have to get regular check-ups for the next five years to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned.

Well if that isn’t enough to make us stop…

Taken from GLAMOUR UK. Read the original here.

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