The supermodel shared the news of her diagnosis on Instagram Wednesday afternoon.
Christie Brinkley has announced that she recently underwent a procedure to treat skin cancer after doctors made the discovery while at an appointment for her daughter.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the 70-year-old supermodel and actress revealed the diagnosis and shared graphic photos of her face during and after the removal of the cancerous skin cells.
"The good news for me is we caught the basal cell Carcinoma early. And I had great Doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection like an haute couture Dior," she wrote alongside photos of her left temple with a chunk missing.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, basal cell carcinoma is a common type of skin cancer that is usually caused by sun exposure and causes a bump or lesion to form on the epidermis.
The cover model said she was "lucky" and only tipped off to the cancerous freckle while taking one of her daughters to a skin check-up. Brinkley has two daughters, Sailor Brinkley Cook and Alexa Ray Joel, though it's unclear which one was with her at the time. Brinkley said she asked the doctor to take a peek at a "tiny little dot" on her temple and that he "knew immediately it needed a biopsy."
In her post, the Parks and Recreation alum went on to use her platform -- which boasts 897,000 followers -- to remind everyone to protect their skin using sunscreen.
"The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection! I got serious a bit late so now for this ole mermaid/gardener, l'll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat. And doing regular total body check ups..that is a MUST!" Brinkley wrote.
"So make your own good luck by making that check up appointment today. And slather up my friends!" Brinkley added.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Khloé Kardashian, Witney Carson, Teddi Mellencamp and Andy Cohen have all dealt with skin cancer at some point in their lives.
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