Wrestling Legend Ric Flair, 76, Says He’s ‘Cancer-Free’ After Skin Cancer Treatment. He Learns, Melanoma Is ‘Nothing to Play With’

Of course, many long-time fans and those working within the professional wrestling industry know that the hard lifestyle came at a cost to Flair’s long-term health.

With a career spanning decades, Flair—born Richard Fliehr—has been a larger-than-life figure in professional wrestling since his debut in 1972.

The heavy drinking that once fueled his on-screen bravado ultimately led to a battle with alcohol addiction.

“I crashed in an airplane and broke my back, and I’ve been hit by lightning. But this is totally different. Anything I’ve been through before is nothing like this,” Flair told People Magazine.

At his lowest point, Flair admitted to consuming “20 drinks a day,” as he told ESPN Radio. The excessive drinking took a serious toll on his health, and in 2017, he suffered kidney failure, requiring hospitalization. He attributes the crisis to years of alcohol abuse.

Through every obstacle—whether surviving a plane crash, overcoming addiction, or dominating the ring—Flair has remained a fighter, and his latest successful bout with cancer proved no different.

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.

Spotting Skin Cancer

You should check your body for unusual spots or moles at least once a month. Any new spots or changes in size or color demand your attention.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Though these marks are unlikely to be cancerous, you’ll want to keep an eye on them and inform your doctor about any changes you notice.

WATCH: When checking for melanoma, remember your ABCDEs

Melanoma is most likely to develop on sun-exposed skin, such as the face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, it might also develop in places that have never been exposed to the sun, such as the palms of your hands or soles of your feet, your eyes or mouth, or under your nails.

SurvivorNet experts describe melanoma symptoms as:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
• Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole.
• Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• A change in the way the surface of a mole looks.
• Scaliness, oozing, or blood

Tips to Protect Your Skin from Skin Cancer

As much as many of us enjoy spending lots of time in the sun during the spring and summer, we must remember that the sun can harm us. For most people, there are simple ways to significantly reduce their risk of developing skin cancer.

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman offers five ways to protect your skin from cancer. Most of her recommendations are simple to follow and could save your life.

WATCH: How to protect your skin from skin cancer.

Her simple tips include:

• Avoid the sun during peak hours, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are outside during those hours, protect yourself from harmful sun rays.
• Cover your skin and eyes. A wide-brim hat and sunglasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
• Wear an SPF of 30 or higher. Dr. Engelman also recommends reapplying every few hours or after excessive sweating or swimming.
• Get an annual skin check. You can check your skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you notice anything unusual between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor.
• Avoid tanning beds.

If you feel like you’re just too pale, Dr. Engelman recommends a sunless tanner. “There’s absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed,” Dr. Engelman said.

WATCH: Melanoma treatment options

People with Darker Skin Complexions Also Face Skin Cancer Risks

A rare form of melanoma called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) impacted Bob Marley. According to research published in the medical journal Neoplasia, acral melanoma “arises on the non-hair bearing skin of the nail bed, palms of the hand and soles of the feet” and is not linked to sun ultraviolet (UV) light like other skin cancers.

This rare subtype of melanoma is more common among people of Black, Hispanic/Latin, and Asian descent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Non-Hispanic Black people are often diagnosed with melanoma at later stages, and the predominant histologic types of melanomas that occur in non-Hispanic Black people have poorer survival rates than the most common types among non-Hispanic white people.

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 my specific 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?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.