Teddi Mellencamp Reveals Stage 2 Melanoma Diagnosis: How to Spot Signs of Skin Cancer

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Khloe Kardashian Has Surgery to Remove Face Tumor

For Teddi Mellencamp, loving the tegument you're successful besides means protecting it.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum shared those sentiments with her Instagram followers connected Oct. 11 aft revealing she was diagnosed with signifier 2 melanoma.

"If a doc says, 'come successful each 3 months' delight spell successful each 3 months," the world TV prima urged her fans. "I truthful severely wanted to stroke this off."

That's conscionable 1 of the galore lessons the 41-year-old has gleaned from this experience, sharing, "I was a '90s teen, putting babe lipid and iodine connected my tegument to tan it. Never wearing sunscreen oregon getting my moles checked until I was 40 years old."

She added, "This has been specified a aftermath up telephone for me."

So, however precisely can people take precautions and look for signs of tegument cancer?

Dr. Tess Mauricio—who worked with Khloe Kardashian alongside Dr. Garth Fischer to remove the star's face tumorshared her expertise with E! News, detailing the value of scheduling regular check-ups, why wearing sunscreen is non-negotiable and however to spot tegument irregularities.

What is melanoma tegument cancer?

First things first, the American Cancer Society describes melanoma arsenic a benignant of tegument crab that "develops erstwhile melanocytes (the cells that springiness the tegument its tan oregon brownish color) commencement to turn retired of control."

With Teddi's melanoma diagnosis being signifier 2, the enactment reports that the tumor is much than 1 millimeter heavy and could perchance person ulcerated but it hasn't dispersed to adjacent lymph nodes oregon different distant parts of the body.

JB Lacroix/WireImage

What are the signs of melanoma and different tegument cancers that you tin look retired for?

"With melanoma, there's the ABCDE that radical request to remember," Dr. Tess told E!. "A is asymmetry. If you enactment a enactment successful the mediate of a caller pigmentation growth, the 2 sides should match. If they don't, past that's what we telephone asymmetric."

"B is borderline and should beryllium precise smooth, nary jagged edges," she continued. "C is colour and should beryllium azygous throughout—you shouldn't person antithetic shades of pigmentation wrong the mole oregon the pigmented lesion."

The Stanford-trained dermatologist added, "D is diameter—growth and pigmentation bigger than a pencil eraser are concerning. E is evolution. If it's changing, if it's itching, if it's bleeding, past you request to spot a dermatologist close away."

While Dr. Tess said these are imaginable signs of melanoma, she pointed retired it's not 100 percent accurate. As she enactment it, "With immoderate caller growth, immoderate caller pigmentation you should person a board-certified dermatologists look astatine it."

How often should you docket checkups?

"If you person a household past of melanoma that increases your risk, not conscionable with melanoma but with different tegument cancers," Dr. Tess said. "You should get checked. And if you've had sunburns arsenic a kid oregon arsenic an big that besides increases your risk of melanoma and tegument cancers."

The M Beauty Clinic laminitis besides noted that if you've been antecedently diagnosed with tegument cancer, your accidental of processing aboriginal ones increases. 

"With melanoma," she went on, "depending connected however heavy it is, we person patients travel successful connected a monthly basis."

All successful all, Dr. Tess emphasized that aboriginal detection and surveillance are key.

"Once a year, marque it a portion of your yearly checkup," she recommended. "And if you've had tegument crab and did surgery, and they accidental borders are wide and you're good, usually each six months is suggested."

Instagam/Teddi Mellencamp

How tin you forestall melanoma and different tegument cancers?

Well, you've heard it before: Wearing sunscreen is an implicit indispensable successful protecting your skin.

"The UVA rays from the prima tin harm the skin," Dr. Tess explained, "and not lone marque it prone to the signs of aging but tin origin tegument cancers."

With truthful galore SPF options available, the dermatologist said implementing it into your quality regular has ne'er been easier. 

"It tin beryllium successful your makeup, it tin beryllium a spray, it tin beryllium a gel, determination are truthful galore formulations now," she noted. "There are a batch of tinted sunscreens present that are zinc and titanium dioxide, truthful you get wide spectrum coverage, which means you're protected from some UVA and UVB."

In summation to encouraging re-application passim the day, she offered different ways to shield yourself from the sun. 

"Wear your hats," she added. "Wear your large sunglasses, usage a rash defender and question shade."

And erstwhile it comes to tanning, similar Teddi mentioned she utilized to bash successful the '90s, Dr. Tess said "there is nary specified thing" arsenic a harmless tan.

"Don't tan extracurricular due to the fact that you are damaging the skin," she put it simply. "You are expanding your hazard for tegument cancer."

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