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On Friday, Andy Cohen swapped his usual hosting duties for being the one in the guest’s seat when he visited Jenny McCarthy’s SiriusXM show. One of the stories that Andy told was about how Kelly Ripa saved his life by telling him to go to a doctor in 2017 to have an odd spot on his lip checked out, and it turned out to be melanoma:
“There was a dot on my lip that I had for a while that I was not paying attention to,” he recalled, explaining that he never bothered with the blemish until bumping into Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, at an art opening for Gloria Vanderbilt one night.
“Kelly came up to me and goes, ‘What’s happening with your lip?'” Cohen continued. “She goes, ‘Get that checked out today. That is skin cancer.’”
The Real Housewives producer said he got a consultation with a doctor soon after the conversation.
“I went and got it checked out,” he remembered. “It was malignant melanoma.”
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning lamps can increase the risk of developing melanoma.
Since having surgery on his lip to have the spot removed, Cohen said he’s been “extra careful” about spending time in the sun and goes to his dermatologist twice a year for a full-body check for skin cancer.
People said that Andy was wearing two bandages during his interview, and also told Jenny that “he just got something ‘hacked off’ his face,” but he didn’t say anything else about what he’d had removed. Thank goodness Kelly noticed the spot on Andy’s lip and said something to him, and that he took her advice and went to the doctor. I know that I should go to a dermatologist on a regular basis, but I haven’t gone in a few years. I do keep an eye on my moles, though. I’m guessing that maybe Andy’s doctor found something else that they were concerned about and removed it to do a biopsy. If that’s the case, I hope it turns out to be nothing. This is also a great reminder to use sunscreen year-round!
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When it’s melanoma, sometimes they have to take out a larger area than just the visible spot. my dad had about a half-inch spot on his stomach but he has about an 8-inch scar. I don’t know how that works with an area as tricky as a lip, though. Eek. Melanoma is no joke and hopefully he’ll be ok.
with most cancers, they take a certain amount extra to try to ensure clean margins
I get my skin checked once a year in August on my mother’s birthday. She died of malignant metastatic melanoma. It was four months from her diagnosis to her death. Get your skin checked, folks!
I get a full body check twice a year. I haven’t had cancer but I’m fair and I am covered in moles, and some moles that were removed were “changed,” which means they could have become cancerous. It is a real anxiety of mine. My old dermatologist wanted to remove all of my moles, and so I have a ton of scars, but my new guy is more into checking them out and keeping track. I love my dermatologist! He’s so nice.
It’s crazy to me that someone could have something like that and NOT get it checked out, but then I also think it must be nice to not be a worrier
A partner at my fathers law firm had a spot on his leg.
He put off getting it checked out. He poo-pooed all the concern about it possibly being cancer
When it finally got so bad he went to the doctor they discovered it had spread to his blood or bones (now I’m blanking) and he died within a year. But when the doc saw it he said if you had only come in sooner….
Get those strange abnormalities checked people!
Ali Fedotowsky was on Good Morning America talking about her skin cancer. She was a correspondent on E! and a former Bachelorette. Get checked, especially those with very fair skin. Use sunscreen every day even if it’s cloudy!
Keep an eye on moles, but more importantly keep an eye on new spots that appear. Wounds and spots that are new and don’t heal, or oddly colored moles. Lots of people think they’re blemishes. If they don’t heal, go see someone asap.
-Radiation Therapist
Hi Lua,
Sorry to hijack your comment, but my mom is starting radiation next week and was wondering if you had any tips or advice to help the process be a bit easier on her? Thanks!!! X
I had stage 3 melanoma – there’s no difference b/t malignant melanoma, btw. It was a spot on my ankle that grew into an ugly mole and spread to my lymph nodes. Without giving the gory details, 2 surgeries, countless hospitalizations, and rough immuno-therapy, I’m fine but am still dealing with residual side-effects that will last my entire life. I’m happy to have my leg.
I was not a sun goddess. I always wore sunscreen. I’m a black woman with olive skin. It can happen to anyone. Even if you think you’re not at risk, you could be. I don’t mean to scare anyone but be cautious.
Holy cow, Bosandi, how scary. I am glad you are okay now. Bob Marley died of melanoma — people with dark skin are definitely at risk.
A friend of mine had melanoma on her labia, so if anyone sees any weird spots in intimate areas, get those checked out too!
I never heard anyone point out the “malignant melanoma” redundancy before. Thanks for sharing your insights and hope your victory persists.