'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown diagnosed with skin cancer, says she had lesion removed from upper lip
'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown revealed she underwent a procedure to remove a lesion from her upper lip. The diagnosis confirmed she has a form of skin cancer.
Janelle, who is Kody Brown's second wife, shared on social media on Tuesday that she has made the “foray into the world of skin cancer” alongside a photo of a bandage on her upper lip following the procedure.
50-year-old Janelle revealed she thought that the lesion on her upper lip was a scar and after her diagnosis, she was “surprised” over how common “basal cell carcinoma” is. The 'Sister Wives' star continued: “It came in the one spot my cold sores have occurred for decades. I’m so careful about sunscreen because I’m so fair, it never occurred to me that it may be skin cancer.”
Janelle made an appointment with her dermatologist after trying out different scar creams yielded in nothing and she noticed "no change". Unfortunately, she was unable to meet with her skin doctor and the appointment stood canceled due to the pandemic.
She finally was able to consult her doctor "via phone" in mid-April. "I had it biopsied a week later and removed yesterday. I was worried because I’m a big baby when it comes to pain but it was so slick," she said about finally getting her lesion removed.
“So little discomfort considering that they had to take a dime size lesion off my upper lip. Scaring will be very very minimal but it will take me a few weeks to heal," The Sun quoted the mother of six as saying. She added that she is "bummed" she waited so long to see a doctor.
Even though the lesion was non-malignant, Janelle has pledged to be extra watchful of her skin in the future. “This skin cancer does not spread, usually. But it’s been a wake-up call to me to really watch my skin. I thought I was playing it so safe. Lots of sunscreen, keeping a good coverup on at the pool or beach, wearing hats, etc. I’ll be playing it so carefully and seeing the doctor right away if there is a next time because some skin cancers are not so forgiving.”
Fans noticed the lesion on Janelle’s upper lip in the most recent Sister Wives season and in recent Instagram photos and when news broke of her having it removed, they took to Reddit to discuss it further.
One fan wrote on Reddit: “Oh Janelle!! I’m so glad she is ok. Skin cancer is SO common"
A second commented: "She thought that was a scar?! How? Anyway, I am glad she got it finally checked and removed."
Another wrote: "It may not spread typically, but you are at higher risk at an escalated level of skin cancer later on - squamous cell or melanoma. I'm glad she finally had it looked at, but I'm shocked she actually thought that was a scar."