Former 'Real Housewife' Teddi Mellencamp Has Stage 2 Melanoma
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Teddi Mellencamp, a former star of TV's “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” announced Tuesday that she has a repeat case of melanoma on part of her back where she previously had the skin cancer.
Mellencamp, 41, said doctors advised her the current cancer is stage 2, TODAY reported.
“Despite my anxiety, I listened to the doctors and went in for my 3-month skin check last week since my previous melanoma. They said I had another abnormal spot near my last one so they did a biopsy. I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma,” Mellencamp wrote on Instagram.
Mellencamp expects to see her oncologist next week to have the spots removed. They will make a plan for additional testing and biopsies of other spots the dermatologist already removed, she said on Instagram.
The reality TV star was diagnosed with melanoma in March after her former co-star Kyle Richards noticed alarming discoloration on her skin. Mellencamp said at the time that she had avoided annual skin checks because of anxiety, but wanted to raise awareness now about the importance of sun protection and early detection.
“I find strength in being honest with you all and hope this helps others. Please let this be a reminder to take action on your own skin,” she wrote in March.
The wellness coach and mother of four also shared photos of the spots on her skin and encouraged her Instagram followers to get their annual skin checks, TODAY reported.
“Moral of this story: if a doctor says, ‘come in every 3 months’ please go in every 3 months. I so badly wanted to blow this off. ‘What could happen in 3 months?’ I thought. Apparently a lot,” she wrote.
“I continue to share this journey because I was a 90s teen, putting baby oil and iodine on my skin to tan it. Never wearing sunscreen or getting my moles checked until I was 40 years old,” she wrote in her Instagram post. “This has been such a wakeup call for me, and I hope to all of you, to love and protect the skin you’re in.”
More information
The American Cancer Society has more on melanoma.
SOURCE: TODAY, Oct. 12, 2022
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