A tiny cut from a nail technician left one woman with a stinking growth on her finger – that almost required partial amputation.

Brittany Guyatt, from Swindon, claims she was cut by the ‘rough’ technician while getting acrylic nails fitted.

What started as a bruise developed into a blood blister then grew rapidly. Soon Brittany was in unbearable pain. The growth extended off her finger by more than a centimetre and ‘filled with smelly pus’.

When the growth, called a granuloma, turned black, Brittany was told she needed surgery or would face losing part of her finger.

She shared photos of the granuloma on Facebook to warn others getting their nails done to ensure the equipment used is properly sterilised.

‘You see these things and never think it’ll happen to you,’ said Brittany.

‘I’ll never have my nails done again – it’s not worth it. I’d rather buy stick-on ones.

‘At first it looked like a little bruise, but eventually it started getting bigger and going red.

‘It was a pinch at first, then it started to become a lump a bit like a blood blister.

‘As it grew, it had a white, waxy look and my skin started peeling off.

‘Then it went black and dried up. It could have been anything – even cancer.

‘When I showed the doctor, she’d never seen anything like it before.’

When Brittany first visited the doctors she was prescribed steroid cream. Following the arrival of her daughter, Harper, Brittany tried other remedies including soaking her finger in salt water, but she worried she could pass an infection on to her baby.

Brittany said: ‘I’d been on maternity leave and thought I’d make myself feel a bit better.

‘I went to a nail salon in Swindon town centre as I’d been there before and never had a problem.

‘When the man was shaping the acrylics, I felt him pinch me with the nail filer.

‘He was quite rough and when he caught my finger, it started tingling and burning. Nothing came up until a few hours later though.

‘I didn’t say anything at the time because they can be a bit rough anyway and they’ve caught my skin a few times in the past.

‘But I did say to my sister when I walked out “ouch, he caught my hand quite sharp that time”.

‘Within a few days it was a little bruise and blood blister, then over time it got bigger and bigger. I didn’t think much of it and presumed it was a little wart that might fall off.

‘When I went into labour with Harper it was fine because I’d covered it with a plaster, but when I got home it started getting bigger and bigger.

‘I was concerned about it getting infected and harming the baby.’

When the growth began to smell and fill with pus, Brittany went back to the doctor.

After two trips to the walk-in centre at Great Western Hospital, the new mum was given blood tests and an X-ray to check the granuloma hadn’t fused to her bone.

She had to undergo an operation to have the growth cut out. It was painful, but a relief, as doctors feared they would have to amputate part of her finger.

Brittany hopes that by sharing her story, she’ll encourage people to be cautious when choosing a nail technician.

She said: ‘The doctor said it could have been the tools the salon had used. They could have been dirty.

‘I just want other girls to make sure they see the technicians sterilise the equipment. I’d never seen them wipe them before.

‘Make sure you go somewhere you trust.’

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