Model Christie Brinkley diagnosed skin cancer, undergoes surgery for basal cell carcinoma at the age of 70 [Video]

Model, actress and entrepreneur Christie Brinkley announced that she has been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.

Brinkley shared news of her diagnosis on her Instagram page on Tuesday, writing in the caption that “the good news for me is we caught the basal cell Carcinoma early. And I had great Doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection.”

In her post, Brinkley encouraged her followers to be diligent with using sun protection on a day-to-day basis.

“I got serious a bit late so now for this ole mermaid/gardener, I’ll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat. And doing regular total body check ups,” she wrote.

Brinkley shared that she feels lucky to have caught it early after accompanying her daughter to a checkup, writing, “It wasn’t my appointment so I wasn’t …