- Khloe Kardashian had a zit on her face that turned out to be a precancerous tumor.
- She got a biopsy after the pimple didn't budge for months.
Khloe Kardashian getting a precancerous tumor removed from her face last year features in the trailer for the upcoming third season of "The Kardashians."
In the trailer for the Hulu series, the 38-year-old discusses having a precancerous melanoma tumor removed from her face in October 2022 with friends and family.
"It was way more serious than I anticipated it to be," she says in the trailer.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can be dangerous because it can spread to other parts of the body quickly if not caught early, the American Cancer Society said.
Insider previously reported that Kardashian noticed the small bump on her face and initially assumed it was a persistent zit.
"I decided to get it biopsied 7 months after realizing it was not budging," Kardashian wrote on Instagram last year.
On her Instagram story, Kardashian said she was predisposed to melanoma and she'd previously had it surgically removed from her back when was 19.
She told her followers she was sharing her story to remind them to get checked frequently.
"Skin cancer can start out looking like anything but skin cancer," Dr. Hope Mitchell, a dermatologist and founder of Mitchell Dermatology, Ohio, told Insider.
She said that when people are young, cancer is the last thing they would even consider. So it's important to know when a spot is something to worry about, she said.
If a spot persists for 1 to 2 months, get it checked out
Skin cancer can look like a red patch, a spot, or a bump, Mitchell said. If it persists for between one and two months without change, doesn't heal, or goes away and comes back, you should consider getting it checked out, she said.
"There is no pimple that will persist for seven months," she said.
Other symptoms can include: a spot changing color, getting larger, opening up and becoming a sore, or itching and burning.
Follow the ABCDE rule to check for skin cancer
Mitchell said to follow the ABCDE rule to differentiate between melanoma and something else.
A is for asymmetrical: is the spot asymmetrical?
B is for border: is the border of the spot irregular, for example not smooth and round but with an indented notch?
C is for color: if there isn't a uniform color, but instead it is purple, brown, and red, for example.
D is for diameter: does it look larger than the head of a pencil?
E is for evolve: just because a mole or spot looks normal today, doesn't mean it will tomorrow.
Mitchell said she adds F too, which stands for family — if you have a family history of melanoma, it's important to be wary of any spots or moles you may have.
If a spot does have a few of the characteristics of the ABCDE rule, then you should consider visiting a dermatologist, she said.
Having fair skin and being male are risk factors for melanoma
Mitchell said that there are risk factors for skin cancer, and the main one is UV light exposure, particularly from sun beds.
Other risk factors can include having fair skin, lots of moles, a personal history of melanoma, a weakened immune system, being male, or being older, according to the ACS.
Mitchell said the best way to protect yourself from skin cancer is to wear sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and cover up in the sun.
If you have an abnormal spot, it isn't necessarily melanoma, though. Mitchell said it could be rosacea affecting the color of the skin, for example, or acne.
But if there's anything you're concerned about, visit a dermatologist, she said.