Teddi Mellencamp Reveals Troubling Update on Her Skin Cancer Diagnosis
Teddi Mellencamp has been diagnosed with stage two melanoma. In a Tuesday "melanoma awareness update," the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star shared a photo of a scar on her back and a bandage next to it as she opened up her diagnosis and urged her followers to get their skin checked.
Reflecting on the journey that led to her diagnosis, Mellencamp shared that "despite my anxiety, I listened to the doctors and went in for my 3-month skin check last week since my previous melanoma." In March, Mellencamp revealed that former castmate Kyle Richards took her to the doctor after noticing her skin was changing color. At the time, Mellencamp had a mole removed, with results revealing that she had melanoma in situ, which means that a tumor has not invaded beyond the outer layer of the skin. During her most recent check-in, doctors noticed "another abnormal spot near my last one." A biopsy was done on the spot, with the Bravo star telling fans, "I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma."
Mellencamp went on to open up about the next steps on her path to recovery, revealing that next Wednesday she will "go to an oncologist to have it cut out and come up with a game plan on next steps. Of course, this is all pending some additional testing and biopsies of other spots nearby that were taken today." She added, "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."
The reality star acknowledged that she didn't always take the best care of her skin, writing that she "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 called her recent health journey "a wakeup call for me," adding, "I hope to all of you, to love and protect the skin you're in."
Mellencamp went on to share more photos of the melanoma, including the mole she previously had removed that was melanoma in situ, as well as the photo of the most recent spot of concern on her skin, writing, "This one is stage 2. Before pic. This little brown dot was not there 3 months ago." News of her diagnosis was met with plenty of support, wit Tamra Judge commenting, "Im so sorry friend. I've been there and it's not fun. Im sorry you're going through this and happy you're bringing awareness. You got this!!!!!" Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Whitney Rose wrote, "Sending you love."