Christie Brinkley opened up about her skin cancer diagnosis for the first time when she stopped by the Today show in New York City on Tuesday.
The 70-year-old supermodel said that she was joining one of her daughters during her dermatology appointment. Once there, Christie asked her daughter’s doctor if he could look at her face. That is when the doctor spotted the cancer.
‘I wasn’t even scheduled for a check-up, I was accompanying my daughter to the dermatologist,’ shared Christie.
‘I was in the room, and he had this little magnifying glass out, and he’s looking at a couple of things that she was worried about,’ Brinkley said.
‘I thought, “There is that little spot right on the side of my head right here…. Should I say anything? It’s not my appointment.”
‘Right at the very end… I said, “Before you put that away, do you think you could just look at this?”‘
The doctor then said, ‘”We’ve got to do a biopsy immediately. This is something.” Then the biopsy came back (as) cancer,’ she said.
The Sports Illustrated model first revealed in March via Instagram that doctors had found a basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common types of skin cancer, on the upper left side of her face.
Christie Brinkley opened up about her skin cancer scare for the first time since being diagnosed during an interview with Today that took place on Tuesday
The 70-year-old supermodel first revealed that doctors had found a basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common types of skin cancer, on the upper left side of her face this past March by sharing a post on her Instagram account
Brinkley added the doctor’s were quick to remove the cancer.
‘They took care of it, and luckily, my hair grows in that direction, but the scar is barely noticeable,’ she stated.
According to the American Cancer Society, basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in basal cells, found in the outer later of the skin.
Typically basal cell carcinomas develop in parts of the skin often exposed to sunlight, especially the face. They tend to grow slowly and do not often spread to other parts of the body.
The supermodel went on to advise viewers to wear sunscreen and hats while stepping out in the sun this summer.
The fashion industry mainstay made her first public statement about her basal cell carcinoma this past March on her Instagram account.
At the time, she also shared a trio of photos taken before and after her carcinoma was removed from her head.
She also penned a lengthy message in which she revealed that her medical team had caught her cancer ‘early.’
Brinkley quipped that her doctors ‘stitched me up to perfection like [a] haute couture Dior.’
The fashion industry personality has since stated that she first drew attention to the carcinoma during an examination for one of her children
Brinkley then recalled that her medical team was able to quickly address the issue and remove the carcinoma
The writer opted for a flowing black long-sleeve dress that showed off the lower parts of her toned legs. She added a bit of color to her look for the day with a pair of bright red high-heeled shoes
Brinkley’s beautiful blonde hair cascaded onto her shoulders and chest
The supermodel then wrote about how she would be taking preventative measures to protect herself against skin cancer in the future.
‘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 wrote.
She then advised her followers to ‘make your own good luck by making that check up appointment today.’
The star concluded her message by writing: ‘Slather up my friends!’
When walking into the Today show on Tuesday she wore a long black coat over a white shirt with red slingback heels as she had her hair down.
