“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp, 42, revealed in an Instagram post that she has a new case of melanoma. It was discovered after a spot on her back caught her attention. She’s had roughly a dozen bouts with melanomas so far as she continues spreading awareness about the skin cancer.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color.
You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. However, you might also find them in your feet, eyes, and mouth.
Mellencamp hopes her experience encourages others to take precautions for early detection. Catching the cancer early and having it treated leads to a high survival rate. Treatments, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, give diagnosed people a better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before.
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp, 42, revealed she’s discovered another melanoma on her back in a new Instagram post. The reality TV star has had a long history of battling melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Mellencamp says this latest bout with skin cancer serves as another reminder to “get checked.”
“I have been debating whether I should even publicly talk about this or not, but then I remember how every time I post about skin cancer, someone else is reminded to get checked,” Mellencamp said in an Instagram caption.
Mellencamp discovered her latest diagnosis earlier this week when her most recent spot was biopsied.
“I can’t even remember if this is the 12th or 13th one. At this point, I’m starting to black out these memories like a portion of my childhood,” Mellencamp continued.
@teddimellencamp
She expressed gratitude for regular checkups, which helped catch the melanoma early.
“I am so grateful for my 3-month checkup because we caught this one early. This means another surgery next week and additional biopsies…As I lay here with tears in my eyes and worry…I am also reminded of my faith and the reminder I keep telling myself, ‘We can do hard things,” Mellencamp added.
Supportive fans sent the beloved TV star an abundance of thoughts and prayers.
“You’ll be okay; stay positive. Sending prayers and love your way,” Instagram user Lisa Kittredge wrote in a post.
Courtesy of Teddi Mellencamp’s Instagram
Mellencamp was widely considered the face of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (RHOBH) during her time on the show. The reality show is about a group of wealthy women living a lavish lifestyle in Beverly Hills. Mellencamp left RHOBH in 2020. She’s also the daughter of Grammy-award-winning singer John Mellencamp.
This past Spring, she had another cancer scare, except in that case, the new growth was benign.
Melanoma, as Teddi Mellencamp has had, is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. In melanoma, the cells change in a way that allows them to spread to other organs.
Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. You’ll want to watch them and tell your doctor about any changes you notice.
You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, you might also find them in other places as well, like:
The palms of your hands or soles of your feet
On your eyes or mouth
Under your nails
SurvivorNet experts recommend avoiding unprotected sun exposure because ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to melanoma. Tanning beds pose ultraviolet radiation risks for skin cancer and should be avoided. Many dermatologists recommend using spray tans to reduce the risk of melanoma skin cancer.
WATCH: How do you perform a skin check using the ABCDEs?
What Are the Symptoms of Melanoma?
The most important thing to look out for when it comes to finding melanoma is a new spot on your skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color, SurvivorNet’s medical experts say.
When you check your skin, use the acronym ABCDE as your guide:
Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
Borders: Is the mole irregular or jagged?
Colors: Are there multiple distinct colors in the mole?
Diameter: Is the mole larger than 6 millimeters (mm), about the size of a pencil head eraser?
Evolution: Has the mole’s color, shape, or size changed over time?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.
Treating Melanoma
With breakthrough treatments like targeted therapy and immunotherapy now available, people diagnosed today with melanoma have a much better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before.
The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for localized melanoma that has not spread is 99%. The five-year survival rate for melanoma that has spread to other body parts drops to 71% for regional spread and 32% for distant spread.
If you’re diagnosed with melanoma, there’s a good chance surgery will be the treatment your doctor recommends. Cancer removal usually leads to a cure in the early stages of the disease.
Mohs surgery might be an option for an early-stage melanoma close to the skin surface. This technique removes skin cancer, layer by layer until all the cancer is gone.
Stage 1 melanoma surgery consists of simple, in-office removal of the cancerous cells by a dermatologist. If the cancer is thicker, your surgeon will remove it through a technique called wide excision surgery.
Stage 2 and stage 3 melanoma surgeries are performed by surgeons or surgical oncologists, not dermatologists. You may also have a sentinel lymph node biopsy to see if the melanoma has spread to the first lymph node where it’s most likely to travel. If your cancer has reached this first lymph node, it may have spread to other neighboring lymph nodes and organs.
After surgery, the removed tissue and lymph nodes are examined to measure the melanoma and determine if it has clear margins. Clear margins mean the cells around the area of tissue that was removed don’t contain any melanoma. When no cancer cells are left around the removed area, your cancer is less likely to return.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.
What type of skin cancer do I have?
What treatment options exist for my type of melanoma?
Will insurance cover this treatment?
Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense for me?
What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?
Kavontae Smalls is a writer and reporter for SurvivorNet. Read More
Melanoma Prevention
Sunscreen and self-exams are incredibly important when it comes to melanoma prevention. We asked top dermatologists for some tips on how to be proactive when it comes to keeping your skin safe and healthy.
