Mum loses thumb after horror fake nail disaster

WARNING: GRAPHIC

A mum of four has lost the top of her thumb after she got blood poisoning from a fake nail incident.

Cherie Newman, 33, treated herself to a set of acrylic nails in July, but after leaving them for four weeks, she decided to try and remove them herself instead of returning to the salon as usual.

Mum-of-four Cherie had to have the tip of her thumb amputated. Photo: Caters
Mum-of-four Cherie had to have the tip of her thumb amputated. Photo: Caters

After buying some nail remover, Cherie accidentally tore off her real thumb nail along with the acrylic and caused it to bleed.

The mum-of-four visited the doctors for something unrelated one month later and was urged to seek immediate hospital treatment as the tip of her thumb had turned purple.

"I didn't think anything of the cut because it was so small,” Cherie said, “so I left it alone and completely forgot about it.”

"I had no idea that removing a fake nail could cause blood poisoning. When the sepsis kicked in my thumb turned purple.”

She was rushed to hospital when her thumb turned purple. Photo: Caters
She was rushed to hospital when her thumb turned purple. Photo: Caters

It turned out she had septicaemia and needed to spend six days in hospital and have an operation to remove the top of her thumb.

"I was awake for the first operation that I had, but I couldn't look at it. I had to have my thumb sliced open to properly wash out the infection,” Cherie said.

"However, the infection came back and it had got worse and I had to have a second operation which I was put under general anaesthetic for.

It all started because she tried to take off an acrylic nail at home instead of at the salon. Photo: Caters
It all started because she tried to take off an acrylic nail at home instead of at the salon. Photo: Caters

"It wasn't until two days later, when I had my dressing removed that I saw the top of my thumb had been taken off and the nail had been removed.

"I was shocked, but I was told it was either that or my thumb would be removed."

It’s since taken Cherie five months to recover from the ordeal, but she said she hasn’t sworn off acrylic nails for good.

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