Christie Brinkley, 70, is currently recovering from a procedure to remove basal cell carcinoma from her face. The former supermodel announced the skin cancer diagnosis on her Instagram account on Wednesday (March 13). There, Brinkley shared three photos of her face, showing her wound bandaged, open and stitched shortly after surgery.
“The good news for me is that we caught the basal cell carcinoma early,” writes the 70-year-old. “And I had great doctors who removed the cancer and stitched me up perfectly – like haute couture Dior.”
Basal cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. This is light, white skin cancer. According to the German Cancer Society, they most often occur in the head and neck area and, in contrast to black skin cancer, rarely form metastases in other organs. However, the tumors can grow aggressively into the surrounding tissue. The standard treatment is to completely remove the tumor surgically, as happened with Christie Brinkley. If detected early, there are good chances of recovery.
But preventive measures are all the more important, as Brinkley also knows: “The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection,” appeals the 70-year-old. “I came to this a little late, but now this mermaid and gardener will apply SPF 30, reapply if necessary, wear long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat.”
Regular full-body check-ups are also a must: “I was lucky enough to find mine because I accompanied one of my daughters to her check-up. The doctor examined every freckle with a magnifying glass,” explains Christie Brinkley. At the end of the appointment, she asked the doctor if he could look at a “tiny spot” on her face that she felt when she was applying her makeup. “He took one look and immediately knew I needed a biopsy.”
Brinkley became known in the late 1970s and early 1980s through her three cover photos on the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition”, on the cover of which she appeared again in 2017 as the oldest model to date. In her long career she has appeared on over 500 magazine covers, including the cover of “Vogue” several times. The model celebrated his 70th birthday on February 2, 2024.
