Hutchinson's nail sign

System: Skin & Nail Signs · All skin & nail signs

What it is — and how it is elicited

Brown-black pigment in a nail that spreads onto the skin of the nail fold around it.

What a positive finding suggests

Associated with subungual melanoma — a melanoma growing under the nail.

◈ Behind the name

Sir Jonathan Hutchinson (1828–1913), English surgeon and dermatologist.

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Please note: This page is an educational reference about clinical examination signs. A clinical sign supports — and never replaces — a full clinical evaluation, examination and appropriate testing. A sign being present does not by itself prove a diagnosis, and an absent sign does not rule one out. If you have symptoms that worry you, see a health professional.