Supermodel Christie Brinkley has opened up about a recent cancer scare, sharing an important warning with her followers about the importance of good sun protection.
The iconic beauty, who rose to fame as a model in the 1980s, took to Instagram to show the graphic reality of what it is like to have a skin cancer cut out.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Christie Brinkley goes from farm to fabulous.
Stream the world’s best reality, entertainment and true-crime shows free on 7plus 
Brinkley shared a series of pictures of what her face looked like after the basal cell carcinoma was removed, the resulting bandaging and the stitches required to sew her back up.
“The good news for me is we caught the basal cell carcinoma early,” she said.
“And I had great doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection like an haute couture Dior.
“The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection!”
Brinkley, who recently celebrated her 70th birthday, admitted that she “got serious” about sun protection “a bit late” in her life and had paid the price.
“So now for this ole mermaid/gardener, I’ll be slathering on my SPF30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat,” she said.
“And doing regular total body check ups … that is a MUST!”
Brinkley added she was actually accompanying one of her daughters as she went for a check up when her own skin cancer was detected.
“I was lucky to find mine, because I was accompanying one of my daughters to HER check up,” she revealed.
“The doctor was looking at each freckle with a magnifying glass.
“It wasn’t my appointment so I wasn’t going to say anything but at the VERY end I asked if he could just look at a little tiny dot I could feel as I applied my foundation.
“He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy! He did it then and there!
“So make your own good luck by making that check up appointment today.
“And slather up my friends!”
Fans flocked to the comments section on Brinkley’s post to say they were glad the skin cancer was found early.
“So glad that you are okay! Blessings to you love,” wrote actress Rosario Dawson.
“Oh Christy! Your little beautiful face, showing just how brave you have had to be.❤️ I’m at your service , my friend,” added actress Beverly D’Angelo.
“Thanks for posting Christe, it’s important to show people what this procedure looks like so you can take precautions and hopefully avoid it,” added a third.
“Hope you are on the mend soon 🙏.”
Many of Brinkley’s followers also thanked her for the important reminder, with one fan calling it a “powerful and important message”.
“Thank you for reminding us to be diligent,” one follower wrote.
“Thank you for sharing! I just had two scary ones removed too and not enough of us talk about this here 🙌🏼♥️🥹,’ wrote another.
“Sending good healing vibes.”
“So brave, thoughtful, generous of you to share your experience,” added a third.
“The lives that you are impacting is a gift.”
