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The former RHOBH star -- who was diagnosed with skin cancer in October 2022 -- said she posted the photos to give her followers "a reality check on how important skin checks are."
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp is sharing an update on her melanoma battle nearly two years after her diagnosis.
On Tuesday, the former Bravo star revealed on Instagram that she's about to undergo her 16th surgery and shared graphic photos of the large scars on her back.
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View StoryThe first two photos in the carousel featured Mellencamp showing off her scars in a photoshoot. The third photo, meanwhile, revealed the 43-year-old's healing incision on her back, which appeared to go across her upper back, to her right shoulder, all the way to her mid-back and side, making a massive Z-shape down her back.
The final image in Mellencamp's post showed her back during a procedure, with a chunk of the skin on her upper back and shoulder completely cut open. "Trigger warning. Go get your skin checks - be diligent with your health - make the appt today!!" she wrote over the image.
The mom of three shared details about her upcoming surgery in the post's caption.
"Thank you to everyone for all the love and support. To answer your main question: My next surgery is August 19th. This is #16, I think, and I keep fighting it so I am feeling more positive than a week ago," Mellencamp wrote. "The surgery is the easy part compared to the ups and downs of not being able to control what’s going on inside my own body."
"August 19th will be here in no time; in the meantime I will be loving on my kids, getting to see my dad in concert with a bunch of friends, going to some incredible horse shows, and podcasting with some amazing women," she continued. "I am blessed."
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She concluded her post by giving her followers a warning about the graphic images she included her post.
"ONLY SWIPE ON THIS PHOTO IF YOU WANT A REALITY CHECK ON HOW IMPORTANT SKIN CHECKS ARE," Mellencamp wrote.
Mellencamp first opened up about her skin cancer journey back in March 2022 after her RHOBH costar and pal Kyle Richards encouraged her to go in to get a mole on her back checked after it had changed color.
In October 2022, she revealed she'd been diagnosed with stage two melanoma. This was followed by a surgery that removed her lymph nodes and some of the cancer. Unfortunately, more spots were being discovered, and she has undergone multiple surgeries since, with the former reality star keeping her followers updated and informed throughout her journey.
Last December, Mellencamp revealed she went under the knife for a major surgery after a five-week immunotherapy program proved unsuccessful.
In an Instagram post at the time, she explained that what she had done was a "wide excision melanoma, soft tissue defect reconstruction with adjacent tissue rearrangement."
She then translated that into layman's terms for the rest of us, adding, "Basically they cut out the area of my shoulder and replaced it with a flap of skin from below on my back."
The good news is that the "surgery went well," while Mellencamp saying that "the pain and discomfort are all worth it."