Christie Brinkley shared a health update with her fans. The former supermodel revealed that she was diagnosed with skin cancer after accompanying her daughter to a doctor’s appointment.
Brinkley, who briefly appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2019 (she suffered an arm injury and was replaced by her daughter, Sailor Brinkley-Cook ) also admitted she was late to the skin protection game and warned fans to “slather” on the sunscreen.
Here’s what you need to know:
Christie Brinkley Shared Photos of Her Skin Cancer Treatment
On March 13, 2024, Brinkley, 70, revealed that she had skin cancer removed from her face. The modeling legend posted several photos on Instagram as she shared the story of her skin cancer discovery. The first photo showed her wearing a gauze headdress and a large bandage on her left temple. Two other photos were more graphic, showing an incision on her head following a biopsy for basal cell carcinoma.
According to the CDC, basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of skin cancer. It can result from overexposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, sunlamps, or tanning beds.
In the caption to her post, Brinkley shared that her skin cancer was caught early when she happened to go with her daughter to an appointment. “I was lucky to find mine, because I was accompanying one of my daughters to HER check-up,” she revealed. “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!”
“I had great Doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection like an haute couture Dior,” Brinkley added.
The mom of three then told fans they could avoid her predicament by being “diligent with your sun protection.”
Brinkley, who spent years posing for swimsuit photoshoots in the sun, also admitted she wasn’t always diligent herself. “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 wrote. “And doing regular total body check ups…that is a MUST.”
Christie Brinkley Talked About Skin Protection in Previous Interviews
Decades after fronting Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, Brinkley reflected on her many years posing on beaches. In January 2024, she told People magazine she had skin damage from her years as a model and now utilizes sunblock and gets regular Fraxel skin-resurfacing treatments.
For a 70th birthday trip to the island of Parrot Cay, she practiced skin safety. “I slathered on sunblock religiously while I was there. And I kept my shirt on and wore a wide-brimmed hat,” she said. “I can’t express enough how much better my skin was coming home this time than any other time I’ve come back. Usually, even though I would try and do some sun protection, I would kind of feel like the old piece of leather of a pirate’s shoe.”
Brinkley has always loved spending time outdoors. According to New Beauty, she previously shared that she spends time outside every day. She is also strict about reapplying sunscreen every hour. “I’m going to add an important beauty tip I wish I had heard sooner…protect your skin while enjoying your sweet happy life,” she once wrote on Instagram. “Be sure to use SPF every day. I’m wearing SPF 50, a swimsuit with long sleeved sun protection, and a hat!”
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