A woman has advocated for an increased presence of doctors on TikTok after a video on the platform helped her detect a rare skin cancer at an early stage.
In February 2025, Lauren Koltcz, residing in North Royalton, Ohio, spotted a brown line on her left thumbnail, which she had noticed was spreading across her entire nail.
Initially, Lauren, a 45-year-old mother of two, thought it might be a vitamin deficiency. A nurse practitioner she consulted suggested it could be a fungal infection.
After trying medication for a fungal infection without success, Lauren saw the line expanding and thickening, prompting her to investigate further.
Living in the digital age of 2025, Lauren turned to TikTok, diving into a “rabbit hole” to understand her condition better. During her search, she came across a significant video.
She found a video by a dermatologist addressing the issue of brown lines on nails.
In the video, the dermatologist advised viewers with such a symptom to consult a medical professional.
Following this advice, Lauren scheduled an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic, where a biopsy was performed.
Dr. Allison Vidimos from Cleveland Clinic commented, “I was concerned because the pigmentation on her nail was very dark, there were different shades of brown, and the spot was wider than 3 millimeters.”
The biopsy results showed that Lauren had subungual melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
Lauren expressed her disbelief, saying, “I just couldn’t believe it. Everybody knows someone who’s had cancer, and now I was one of them.”
The Cleveland Clinic describes subungual melanoma as skin cancer beneath the nail, appearing as a dark, vertical streak. It notes, “Subungual melanoma is rare but serious. This type of skin cancer – called acral lentiginous melanoma – is an aggressive form of melanoma.”
Fortunately, Lauren’s condition was identified at ‘stage zero,’ meaning the melanoma was only on the top layer of skin.
Lauren noted, “[The doctor] said it was caught super super early, and that if I didn’t come in, it wouldn’t have been caught.”
She underwent surgery to remove the cancer along with some surrounding tissue and was relieved not to require chemotherapy or radiation.
Lauren continues to have regular check-ups with a dermatologist and currently shows no evidence of cancer.
Reflecting on her experience, she stated, “I know a lot of people don’t like TikTok, but it made me aware that I should go to the doctor. I think there should be more doctors on there,” and added, “[…] I just kept thinking, ‘How lucky am I that I caught it in time and had such great doctors to treat it?'”
If you are facing similar concerns and wish to speak with someone confidentially, you can contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or through their live chat feature, available 24/7 all year round.