RHOC’s Braunwyn Windham-Burke reveals she was first diagnosed with stage 2 malignant melanoma skin cancer at 19
REAL Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham-Burke has opened up on her skin cancer diagnosis at the age of 19, as she called on fans to make sure they wear sunscreen.
The reality star has a long history with the disease and opened up on it via Instagram Stories on Wednesday as she visited her dermatologist.
“I was diagnosed with my first malignant melanoma stage 2 at age 19,” she said, “I was very young and we had to go through radiation. I had to get it cut. I have a huge scar.”
“But ever since then I get checked every four months. When I was younger, I didn’t get biopsies every time,” she added, “but now I do.”
She then revealed that she had two biopsies on Wednesday and she has a “basel-cell” on which she will use a “chemotherapy cream to shrink it before they use a Mohs.”
Mohs surgery is a precise surgical technique used to treat skin cancer and “it leaves a smaller scar.”
“My cousin died from melanoma when he was 36,” the 42-year-old also shared, concluding: “Go every four months if you’re like me. Get checked, and get checked often.”
Braunwyn has always been open about her cancer diagnosis, and in February she posted a picture on her Instagram stories where only her arm and a doctor’s hands were visible, revealing that her “little mole that looked kinda weird came back positive for melanoma … luckily we caught it early!”
In the picture, a small incision could be spotted where there used to be a mole.
The mom-of-seven also urged her followers to go to the doctor if they notice something off.
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Braunwyn, who is married to husband Sean, wrote: “Get checked often!”
According to the Mayo Clinic, melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and it develops in the cells that produce melanin.
Although there is still no exact cause, it can often be associated with exposure to UV radiation from sunlight and tanning beds.
But on a positive note, melanoma can be treated successfully if diagnosed early – like in Braunwyn’s cause.