Teddi Mellencamp has been diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma.
The 41-year-old reality star took to Instagram to reveal she had been diagnosed after her doctor sported an "abnormal spot" on her back, which she will have cut out next week.
She wrote: "Melanoma awareness update. Despite my anxiety, I listened to the doctors and went in for my 3-month skin check last week since my previous melanoma. They said I had another abnormal spot near my last one so they did a biopsy. I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma. Now, next Wednesday I 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."
The 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star admits she was initially reluctant to go to the doctor three months after her previous skin check because she didn't think anything bad would've happened in that time, but she has now urged others to get checked if their doctor advises them to.
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. I continue to share this journey because I 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. This has been such a wakeup call for me, and I hope to all of you, to love and protect the skin you’re in. (sic)"
In March, Teddi had a skin cancer scare when it was revealed she had melanoma in situ, the earliest form - also known as stage 0 melanoma - in which cancer cells are in the top layer of the skin.
