This Real Housewife Just Shared A Picture Of Her Skin Cancer

    "I don't want sympathy, I want you to save YOUR ASS and get your skin checked," Judge wrote.

    Caroline Kee
    by Caroline Kee

    BuzzFeed News Reporter

    Tamra Judge, 49-year-old mother and star of Real Housewives of Orange County, revealed on Sunday that she has been diagnosed with skin cancer.

    Bravo / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.com

    Judge has appeared on the past 10 seasons of Bravo TV's Real Housewives of Orange County, and is known for her larger-than-life personality.

    Judge opened up about her diagnosis in a recent Instagram post, where she shared a ~cheeky~ selfie with her 1.2 million followers showing the cancerous growth on her buttocks.

    She also had an important message: "I'm showing you this picture because this is what melanoma looks like. I don't want sympathy, I want you to save YOUR ASS and get your skin checked," Judge wrote.

    Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and yes, you can get it on your butt cheeks even if they've never seen the light of day.

    National Cancer Institute / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.com

    According to the American Cancer Society, a melanoma develops from melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin or the pigment that gives skin its color. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight or tanning beds is a major risk factor for most melanomas, as well as genetics, but some people develop melanomas with few or no known risk factors. And melanoma can develop on parts of the body — like the buttocks or genitals — that have had little to no exposure to UV light.

    "I have a lot of patients that have melanomas on their butts," dermatologist Dr. Michele S. Green previously told BuzzFeed Health. "That's one of the most common places I diagnose them, and it's the most common place people miss," Green said.

    The good news? Melanoma and other skin cancers are almost always curable if recognized and treated early.

    It is possible to detect melanoma early, before the cancer can advance and spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body (metastasize), which is when it becomes harder to treat or fatal. And the earlier you find the melanoma, the more options you have when it comes to treatment. The same goes for other forms of skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma — early detection is key.

    So it's important to do a full-body skin check and look out for any features that could be warning signs of a melanoma.

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    The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that you do a head-to-toe self-examination of your skin every month (click here for step-by-step instructions). You can also get skin exams from a health care professional — but you should talk to your doctor about how often you should get screened for skin cancer based on your personal and family history.

    According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, people who have over 100 moles are at a greater risk for melanoma and might require more frequent screenings to monitor any changes in the skin and existing moles. But since anyone can get melanoma, it's always important to do self-exams and make sure you know your skin very well so you can notice anything unusual.

    Melanomas can form as a new spot or from normal moles (which are often harmless), so take note if any of your moles change in a weird way.

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    When checking your skin for possible warning signs of a melanoma, the most important thing to look out for is a new spot on the skin that doesn't look like the rest of your moles or marks or a spot that's changing in size, shape, or color. Another warning sign is that a spot that continues to itch, bleed, ooze, crust, or scab and won't heal. So if you have one of these warning signs, go to the doctor to get it checked out.

    Moles, brown spots, and growths on the skin are usually harmless — but not always. So take note if any of your moles change. You can also use the American Cancer Society's "ABCDE guidelines" to spot the common signs of a melanoma. If you notice any of the features below, tell your doctor.

    * A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.

    * B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.

    * C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.

    * D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than six millimeters across (about a quarter inch — the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.

    * E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.

    In addition to checking your skin, here are some other tips to stay safe and healthy when it comes to skin cancer.

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    There is no sure way to prevent melanoma or other skin cancers, but you can lower your risk by limiting your exposure to UV rays in the following ways:

    1. Stay in the shade when outside

    2. Avoid using tanning beds or lamps

    3. Covering up by wearing protective shirts, hats, and sunglasses

    4. Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen the right way — that means at least 15 minutes before exposure and reapplying per the instructions on the bottle (click here to find out if you're using sunscreen wrong).

    Fortunately, Judge was able to detect her cancer early. "I'll be fine because my faith is strong," she wrote.

    tamrajudge / Instagram / Via instagram.com

    Judge remained optimistic in her post, but did mention that the diagnosis may prevent her from competing in an upcoming bodybuilding competition this November.