Christie Brinkley has shared with her fans that she has been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.
The model and actress shared the news on Instagram, writing that “the good news for me is we caught the basal cell Carcinoma early. And I had great Doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection.”
Her doctors found the cancer while she was taking her daughter for an appointment, USA Today reported.
“It wasn’t my appointment so I wasn’t going to say anything but at the VERY end I asked if he could just look at a little tiny dot I could feel as I applied my foundation,” she wrote on social media. “He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy! … So make your own good luck by making that checkup appointment today. And slather up my friends!”
The Skin Cancer Foundation said basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer and will typically look like “open sores, red patches, pink growths, shiny bumps, scars or growths with sightly elevated, rolled edges and/or a central indentation.”
They appear on areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun such as the head or neck, USA Today reported.
It starts in the basal cells which make new skin cells to replace dying cells, according to the Mayo Clinic.
You can lower your risk of developing BCC if you use sunscreen, something that Brinkley reminded her followers about.
“I got serious a bit late so now for this ole mermaid/gardener, I’ll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat. And doing regular total body check ups,” she wrote.
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