“I thought it was a pimple that wouldn’t go away, turns out it was cancer. I share this so that hopefully it inspires others to get checked [if] something feels/looks off.”

When skin cancer turns up in sensitive, high-risk spots like the face, ears, or nose, Mohs surgery is often the go-to treatment. Formally called Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), this precise procedure removes the cancer one thin layer at a time, with each layer checked under a microscope before the next is taken. That way, surgeons can remove all of the cancerous tissue while sparing as much healthy skin as possible.

Personal note: I haven’t been on TV or working the past two weeks because I had Moh’s surgery to remove squamous cell carcinoma from my nose. I thought it was a pimple that wouldn’t go away, turns out it was cancer. I share this so that hopefully it inspires others to get checked is something feels/looks off.

— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_TV) October 7, 2026

In a follow-up post, the lifelong hockey player found the bright side of her recovery, revealing that her surgeons had cleared the cancer and rebuilt the area using tissue from her ear.

“The cool part about this, is not only did they remove all the cancerous cells, but they grafted part of my ear onto my nose,” she wrote. “I’ve played hockey my entire life, but never felt more like a hockey player than I do now. Sew me up and put me in coach.”

Stewart-Binks, who has previously worked for ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and Barstool Sports, has not said when she expects to return to the air. However, she was back on her feet by Wednesday, Oct. 7, making an appearance at a Brooklyn event honoring women in sports, according to her Instagram story.

Meanwhile, in an Instagram post, shared alongside footage of herself, she thanked fans for the outpouring of support and opened up about what it’s like to recover while living alone.

“Thank you so much to everyone who sent me a note, called, went out of their way to send me a gift after my very emotional IG post about going through Mohs surgery alone,” she wrote.

“As someone who spends almost 24 hours a day alone, I have really been able to get to know myself – you can be both grateful you had skin cancer removed, and also depressed dealing with it.”

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A post shared by Julie Stewart-Binks (@juliesb_)

“People are so kind to offer help or if you need anything to reach out, but when you live alone it’s like ‘do you want to come over for anywhere from 20 minutes to 7 hours in case something inconveniencing happens?'” she continued.

She added that the feeling may not be limited to people who live by themselves, noting, “But then I also thought today even people who don’t live alone might still feel this way with or without a partner…”

Stewart-Binks concluded with a laugh, saying, “I just need a dog that someone else can take care of. Mom can you actually come down? Sorry about posting the video of you dancing like Penn Badgley from Jennifer Hudson’s show’ most obscure reference of all time. AI could never write as weird as me.”

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A post shared by Julie Stewart-Binks (@juliesb_)

Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Precise Approach to Skin Cancer Treatment

Mohs surgery is the leading method for treating skin cancer on delicate, high-risk areas like the face, ears, and nose. This meticulous technique—known as Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS)—uses microscopic guidance to remove cancerous tissue layer by layer, ensuring that only affected areas are excised while preserving as much healthy skin as possible.

WATCH: The best surgery option for melanoma.

It’s especially effective for treating common skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

During the procedure, the area is numbed with a local anesthetic. The surgeon carefully removes the visible tumor with a scalpel and immediately examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer cells remain, the process is repeated—one layer at a time—until all cancerous cells are gone.

This methodical approach offers high cure rates, particularly when cancers are caught early, and minimizes scarring for sensitive, visible areas of the body.

“What is being done is that you’re able to remove a very conservative margin around the cancer and study it in, essentially, real time,” explains Dr. Sumaira Aasi, a professor of dermatology and Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford.

“The Mohs surgeon will take a conservative cut circumferentially around the cancer, where we’re able to preserve healthy tissue. We’re able to process the tissue and look at the cancerous tissue and know where there are still tumor cells persisting. As the Mohs surgeon removes the cancer, it’s mapped out.”

Dr. Aasi adds that the surgeon may go back specifically to the areas where the cancer cells were present and take out another conservative margin or amount of cancerous tissue and repeat the process until the cancer is out completely.

What Is Skin Cancer?

Stewart-Binks’ diagnosis puts a spotlight on squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of skin cancer, and it’s a good reminder of why it pays to understand what skin cancer is. At its core, skin cancer happens when abnormal skin cells start growing out of control.

This usually begins with DNA damage that the body doesn’t repair. Over time, that damage can cause mutations, or genetic errors, that push skin cells to divide rapidly and form malignant tumors. It can sound frightening, but understanding how it works is the first step toward protecting yourself, and reading this means you’ve already started.

RELATED: What You Need to Know About Skin Cancer

Skin cancers generally fall into three main types:

• Melanoma: Less common than the others, but the most dangerous.
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC): The second most common type and the one Stewart-Binks was diagnosed with. Most cases are low risk and very treatable when caught early, but SCC can spread to distant parts of the body if left alone, and some cases behave aggressively and need more than one treatment.
• Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): The most common type, and fortunately the least likely to spread.

There’s also a much rarer type worth knowing about: Merkel cell carcinoma. It tends to affect older adults (the average age at diagnosis is around 74 to 76) and can be aggressive both at the original site and elsewhere in the body.

The good news is that many skin cancers can be prevented, and there are real steps you can take to lower your risk. Prevention, along with catching cancer early and treating it promptly, gives you the best shot at a good outcome.

Spotting the Early Warning Signs

It’s important to understand that your skin is the largest organ in your body, so noticing changes matters. In general, skin cancer shows up as a change in your skin that doesn’t go away. What that change looks like depends on the type, but here are some common red flags:

• New growths: A new spot, bump, or sore that won’t heal deserves attention. Even small changes are worth checking.
• Changing moles: Moles are often where trouble starts. Keep an eye out for moles that change in color, size, or shape, or that look noticeably different from your other spots. Any of these is a good reason to see a health care provider.
• Itchy or painful areas: Patches of skin that stay itchy, sore, scaly, or bleed could be an early sign.
• Uneven borders or color: Spots with irregular edges or a mix of colors are worth noting.
• Size and shape: A spot larger than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser) is considered suspicious. And again, watch for sores that don’t heal.

Signs of SCC

Pay close attention to sun-exposed skin. A rough or crusty patch, a wart-like growth, or a sore that keeps coming back in the same spot are all worth showing to a dermatologist.

You know your body better than anyone. If something seems off, don’t ignore it; get it looked at. Finding skin cancer early greatly improves the chances that treatment will work, and it’s always better to be cautious.

Keep in mind that skin cancer doesn’t always follow the textbook. If something just doesn’t feel right, trust that instinct and talk to your doctor. Regular skin checks with a dermatologist are another smart way to stay ahead of it.

WATCH: How to protect your skin from skin cancer

A Closer Look at the Types of Skin Cancer

Not all skin cancers are alike, and the differences go beyond how serious they are or where they appear. The three main types, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, each have their own traits. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC): You may not recognize the name, but BCC is the most common skin cancer out there. It develops in basal cells, which make new skin cells as old ones are shed. BCC tends to grow slowly and rarely spreads, but if it’s ignored, it can do real damage to the surrounding tissue.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC): This is the type Stewart-Binks is dealing with, and it’s the second most common skin cancer. SCC begins in the squamous cells, the flat cells that make up the skin’s outer layer. It most often shows up on areas that get a lot of sun, like the face, ears, lips, scalp, neck, hands, and arms, though it can appear elsewhere too.

SCC can look like a firm red bump, a flat and scaly patch, a sore that heals and then returns, or a thickened area that bleeds. It sometimes develops from actinic keratoses, rough, scaly spots caused by sun damage that are considered precancerous, which is why it’s worth having those checked rather than ignored.

Long-term UV exposure from the sun or tanning beds is the biggest risk factor. Fair skin, older age, a history of sunburns, and a weakened immune system (for example, after an organ transplant) also raise the risk.

The encouraging news is that most SCCs are caught early and cured with treatments like surgical removal or Mohs surgery, which removes the cancer layer by layer while sparing healthy skin. Radiation is another option in some cases, and for advanced SCC that has spread, immunotherapy has become an important treatment. Still, because SCC is more likely than BCC to spread to other tissues and organs, it should never be brushed off.

Melanoma: This is the name most people know. Melanoma is less common but more dangerous because it’s more likely to spread. It begins in melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, which gives skin its color. Melanoma often starts in or near a mole, though it can show up anywhere on the body. Unlike BCC and SCC, it can grow and spread quickly if it isn’t treated.

Those three account for most cases, but not all. Rarer types include Merkel cell carcinoma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.

• What type of skin cancer do I have?
• What treatment options exist for this type of cancer?
• Will insurance cover this treatment?
• Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense to me?
• What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?

If you have a skin cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.

WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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