On Sunday, Mar. 7, the day the current 15th season of Sister Wives airs on TLC, Janelle decided to address fans’ concerns. “Many of you have been noticing and reaching out to me about the blemish above my lip in the new episodes,” she wrote on Instagram. Janelle said that at first, about a year ago, she noticed “what looked like a scar develop in an area on [her] lip where all of [her] cold sores for the past two decades have erupted.” While she thought it was the same thing bubbling up, the cold sore she diagnosed herself with “never developed and just stayed.” However, she admitted, because it was an area she’d had minor issues with before, “it honestly did not occur to [her] to have it even looked at.” And for more symptoms you should never push aside, here’s The No. 1 Sign of Poor Health No Woman Should Ever Ignore, Experts Say. Janelle let a year go by without consulting a doctor as the growth “slowly increased in size,” she wrote. “I started treating it with every scar medication I could find, thinking it was my body reacting to the years of trauma to that area of my face.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb And for more celebrity, health, and other news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Once she finally got checked out, the doctor diagnosed her with basal cell carcinoma, which was luckily not malignant. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, basal cell carcinoma is “the most common form of skin cancer and the most frequently occurring form of all cancers.” They report that there are an estimated 4.3 million cases diagnosed in the U.S. annually. According to the organization, this skin cancer can present as an open sore that doesn’t heal; a red patch or irritated area on your face, chest, shoulder, arm, or leg; a shiny bump that can be mistaken for a normal mole; a small pink growth with a raised, rolled edge; or a scar-like area that’s white, yellow, or waxy. Janelle said she had her growth removed at the doctor’s recommendation and now says “all is well.” “I am posting this picture hopefully for awareness,” she wrote with the photo above. And for another cancer this late celebrity was raising awareness about, here are The Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer Alex Trebek Wanted You to Know. Janelle said she was surprised to find out it was skin cancer considering she is “very, very careful to always apply sunscreen.” “I have always burned so easily so really cannot go out, ever, without some sort of protection,” she said. Because she never assumed the worst, she hopes fans of the show can learn from her experience and get any potential issues checked out sooner. “I am sharing to say that, even if it seems like it couldn’t be skin cancer, it doesn’t hurt to have your doctor look at it,” she said. And for more information about this kind of cancer, check out 27 Skin Cancer Facts Doctors Wish You Knew About.
