Khloé Kardashian continues to give fans updates on her health following her skin cancer battle in 2022.
Kardashian, 39, took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday, September 19, to share personal photos of her cheek before and after the melanoma was removed from her face last year.
“For those who do not know, I had a skin cancer scare on my face. My angel @garthmd is who I trusted with removing the tumor. Dr. Fischer is out of this world Fabulous!” the Kardashians star wrote, posting an image of the small mass on the side of her face, which she revealed she “thought was a pimple for almost a year.” Kardashian warned fans with a disclaimer before sharing the next photo, which was an image of the stitches on her cheek post-surgery, followed by a picture of her posing with a large white bandage.
“I know this looks crazy and pretty massive, which it was, but for all good reason @garthmd made sure to protect the stitches and make sure everything was as flat as possible so there was no stretching of the scar, incision area, and we tried to avoid keloiding as much as possible,” Kardashian praised, adding, “He’s just the best.”
Kardashian also shared an image of her cheek after it had healed from the operation, now bearing a large indentation. “Not that we needed an arrow to show the huge indentation on the side of my face but because we had to remove a tumor from my cheek, I was left with an indentation,” she wrote, revealing she had to wait “over nine months” to get it filled, which she illustrated with another snap.
The Good American cofounder concluded the post by urging fans to get regular skin checks. “One check can save your life. Even if you think it’s nothing … It never hurts to get it looked at,” she wrote.
The reality star first revealed her skin cancer diagnosis via Instagram in October 2022. Her experience was well-documented on Season 3 of The Kardashians, which aired in May.
“Melanoma’s deadly. This was way more serious than I anticipated it to be,” Kardashian said in a confessional, while her friends and family weighed in on how the health scare was affecting Kardashian’s mental health.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you this low,” Malika Haqq told her best friend, while Kardashian’s sister Kendall Jenner revealed, “She doesn’t sleep, she’s lost a lot of weight.”
Kardashian clapped back at fans who questioned the bandage on her cheek earlier this year.
“And what the heck is on your cheek,” one follower commented on Kardashian’s gym selfie.
“A bandage,” Kardashian replied “I had a tumor removed from my face but I’m totally ok. Thank you for asking .”
Despite the harrowing health scare, Kardashian continued to make public appearances and showed off her bandaged face in style. In November 2022, she attended the CFDA Fashion Awards and was applauded by fans, with one writing via X (formerly known as Twitter): “So proud of you for taking care of your skin and rocking your Band-Aid at all these high-fashion events.”
In her Instagram story on Tuesday, Kardashian noted that the indentation in her cheek “will always be something we have to fill due to the mass.” Despite this, she went on to express her gratitude for her health. “I am definitely not complaining because I would rather have an indentation than melanoma any day,” she wrote, adding, “I am so incredibly grateful to all the doctors who helped and continue to help me with my skin cancer journey.”