Supermodel Christie Brinkley has revealed she has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Brinkley, 70, who has appeared on the cover of a series of Sports Illustrated issues, was accompanying her daughter to a routine check-up when she asked the doctor to look at a mole.
The American actress and model said she discovered a “little tiny dot” when putting on make-up and almost didn’t raise the issue as it wasn’t her appointment.
But when the doctor took a look at it, he “knew immediately” she needed a biopsy, Brinkley wrote in an Instagram post.
She shared a photo of herself just after the surgery with bandages on, alongside another of her with stitches.
The actress and model thanked her doctors for catching the cancer early. Pic: @christiebrinkley
“The doctor was looking at each freckle with a magnifying glass… 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 said.
“He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy. He did it then and there.”
Her skin cancer, a basal cell carcinoma, was caught early, she added.
Her cancer was only spotted after she mentioned it during her daughter’s routine appointment. Pic: @christiebrinkley
“I had great doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection like an haute couture Dior.
“The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection.
“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… that is a must.”
She told her almost 900,000 Instagram followers to “slather up”.
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Basal cell carcinoma is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer that starts in the top layer of skin and can often be easily treated, according to the NHS.
The main causes are ultraviolet light, which can come from the sun and sunbeds.
