Iconic supermodel Christie Brinkley revealed in an Instagram message on Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Brinkley shared a photograph of herself in a hospital bed, with a bandage on her face. She shared images of the raw incision on her temple, with her skin flapped open and a deep gash visible. The photo gallery also included an image of the numerous stitches that were required to suture her wound, after her medical procedure to remove her skin cancer. The supermodel detailed her condition in a lengthy caption. “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 like an haute couture Dior 👍” she wrote.
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Brinkley, who is 70 years old, took a moment to advise her fans and followers about the importance of sun protection before she explained the surprising turn of events that led to her diagnosis.
“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,” she said.
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“And doing regular total body check ups..that is a MUST ! I was lucky to find mine, because I was accompanying one of my daughters to HER check up .. ” she said.
“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 . He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy!”
Model Christie Brinkley attends Harper’s BAZAAR 150th Anniversary Event presented with Tiffany & Co at The Rainbow Room on April 19, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Harper’s BAZAAR
Christie Brinkley attends Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2017 NYC launch event at Center415 Event Space on February 16, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated
Brinkley praised the doctor for providing immediate care and attention.
“He did it then and there!” she said.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 29: Model Christie Brinkley attends Bella New York magazine’s beauty cover launch at La Pulperia Restaurant on May 29, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
She named each of the doctors who assisted her, as she expressed her gratitude. (RELATED: Olivia Munn Reveals Heartbreaking Diagnosis)
Brinkley’s fans quickly populated her social media page with loving messages and wished her a speedy recovery.