Ariana Madix of ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Celebrates a Year of Health Since Skin Cancer Surgery

Madix is known for her role on the Bravo show “Vanderpump Rules” about Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant in West Los Angeles and the raucous group of people who run it.

“I've been debating posting this for so long but whatever! I'm doing it,” Madix wrote in an Instagram post alongside a video of herself in a hospital bed before surgery. “Officially the spookiest thing I've ever experienced!”

The video was taken by Madix’s longtime boyfriend and Vanderpump bartender Tom Sandoval.

Madix had surgery for her skin cancer about a year ago. She was diagnosed in 2018 after finally getting a mole checked that she’d been wondering about for years.

“I wasn’t able to celebrate my favorite holiday bc I had just undergone surgery for melanoma,” she continues in the post. “Being told that cancer was living rent free on my body for years was scarier than any 80s slasher movie.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

i've been debating posting this for so long but whatever! i'm doing it. officially the spookiest thing i've ever experienced! a year ago, i wasnt able to celebrate my favorite holiday bc i had just undergone surgery for melanoma. being told that cancer was living rent free on my body for years was scarier than any 80s slasher movie. thankfully, i had an amazing doctor, the amazing @tomsandoval1 to take care of me, and (as you can see) the @kimpetras #TOTL album to keep me positive! moral of the story: if you're unsure of something on your body, GET CHECKED and then GET CHECKED AGAIN! #wooahhh #fuckcancer #spookyseason ps- insurance BLOWS. #cancerfree

A post shared by ???? Ariana Madix ???? (@ariana252525) on Nov 3, 2019 at 3:56pm PST

She also talked about how much she loved her doctor, and said that the “Hear to Break” singer Kim Petra got her through the tough times.

Because Madix’s cancerous mole was close to a lymph node, she explained to Entertainment Tonight after her treatment, “I had to go for a real surgery. And have a giant chunk [removed]. I have a scar I can show you, it’s pretty gnarly  and then I have one [scar] down here in my underarm area.”

She also said she gets her moles checked every six months to “make sure I’m on top of everything.”

Getting Moles Checked

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. If you find a new mole or skin growth, or if you notice a change in an existing mole, you should get it checked out. Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, explains that melanoma is often thought of as cancer of the mole, but it doesn't always appear as one. Melanoma is a cancer of the pigment-producing cells, which are found throughout your body.

Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on what to look for when you look at moles on your skin

According to Dr. Larocca, there’s a an easy way to check if a mole needs further evaluation. It’s called the ABCDE rule:

A: Asymmetry of the mole, or when one half of the mole doesn't match the other

B: Border irregularity or Bleeding

C: Color change either lightening or darkening of a mole

D: Diameter greater than 6mm or enlarging moles

E: Evolving size, shape or color.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---