Christie Brinkley successfully underwent surgery after being diagnosed with skin cancer.
The model, 70, announced the news in a heartfelt Instagram post on Wednesday, including a photo of herself wearing two large bandages on the corner of her forehead. Additional photos showed the excision and her stitches afterward.
“The good news for me is that we caught the basal cell carcinoma early. And I had great doctors who removed the cancer and sewed me up to haute couture Dior perfection,” Brinkley wrote.
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The Cleveland Clinic describes basal cell carcinoma as “a type of skin cancer that causes a lump, bump, or lesion to form on the outer layer of your skin.” It is “the most common form of skin cancer and the most common form of all cancers,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Brinkley used her post as an opportunity to remind her fans about the importance of sun protection.
“I got serious of late, so now for this old mermaid/gardener, I’m going to slather on my SPF 30, reapply as needed, wear long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat,” Brinkley said.
She also reminded her followers about regular health checkups.
Christie Brinkley at the American Humane Hero Dog Awards in November 2023.
Mireya Acierto/Getty
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“I was lucky to find mine because I was accompanying one of my daughters to HER checkup,” Brinkley wrote. “The doctor looked at each spot with a magnifying glass… it wasn’t my appointment so I didn’t want to say anything, but at the VERY end I asked if he could just look at a tiny tiny dot that I could feel when I applied my foundation. He looked and immediately knew he had to a biopsy! He did it right then and there!”
Brinkley ended her post by thanking her doctors and reiterating her advice.
“Do yourself a favor by making an appointment today. And exterminate my friends,” she wrote. The announcement comes weeks after Brinkley celebrated her 70th birthday in February.
She talked about the famous birthday in an interview with PEOPLE, saying that she is still far from retirement.
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Christie Brinkley shares a mirror selfie on Instagram.
Christie Brinkley/Instagram
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“I’m so grateful every day I get to work. It helps me feel current,” she said. “I want to keep pushing forward and have a lot of dreams and chase them and follow them and live them.”
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Source: HIS Education