​​Christie Brinkley's Skin Cancer Was Found at Daughter's Dermatologist Appointment: 'Wasn't Even Scheduled for a Checkup'

Christie Brinkley says she “didn’t even have an appointment” when she was diagnosed with skin cancer.

The supermodel said Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb that she took her daughter to a dermatologist, and as he used a magnifying glass to examine “a few things that she was concerned about, I thought, ‘You know, there’s this little spot right on the side of my head right here. … Do I need to say anything? That’s not my appointment.’ ”

Brinkley, who turned 70 in February, eventually decided to speak out, “at the very end” of the appointment, she said.

“As he was putting his little thing away, I said, ‘Before you put it away, do you think you could just look at this?'” Brinkley said. “He looked and said, ‘We need to do a biopsy right away.’ ”

He continued, “This is something.” Then the biopsy came back.”

Specifically, it was basal cell carcinoma, as Brinkley wrote in an Instagram post in March when she shared post-surgery photos.

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“The good news for me is that we caught the basal cell carcinoma early. And I had great doctors who removed my cancer and sewed me up to haute couture Dior perfection,” Brinkley wrote.

And as she shared with Today“They fixed it and luckily, my hair grows in that direction, but the scar is barely noticeable,” she said.

Christie Brinkley shares the results of her skin cancer surgery.

Christie Brinkley/Instagram

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Basal cell carcinoma is “the most common form of skin cancer and the most common form of all cancers,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

And as the Mayo Clinic says, it occurs “most commonly on parts of the skin that are exposed to the sun, such as your head and neck” and “is thought to be caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight. Avoiding the sun and using sunscreen can help protect against basal cell carcinoma.”

“Repeated sunburns can lead to irreversible DNA damage and immune suppression. These factors can lead to the development of skin cancer,” Krista M. Rubin, NP, of Mass General Cancer Center’s melanoma team, told PEOPLE.

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Christie Brinkley.

Christie Brinkley/Instagram

And skin cancer isn’t the only risk of unprotected sun exposure, Rubin tells PEOPLE.

“There are many proven risks of unprotected sun exposure, including premature aging, sunburn, scarring, skin discoloration, changes in skin texture—to dry, “skinny” or wrinkled—suppression of the immune system, eye damage, such as the development of cataracts, and of course , skin cancer,” Rubin said.

As Brinkley told Guthrie and Kotb, “It’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we’re kicking off summer, and it’s time to remind everyone to really wear sunscreen and a hat. And go for an examination.”

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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education