Khloé Kardashian Says Melanoma Scare Was "Way More Serious" Than She Expected

Khloé Kardashian is showing the reality behind her recent health scare. In a new trailer for "The Kardashians" season three, Kardashian discussed what ended up being a pre-cancerous tumor with her friends and family. "This on her face is very concerning," Kris Jenner said in reference to the tumor. "She doesn't sleep, she's lost a lot of weight," Kendall Jenner added, with Kylie Jenner saying she'd heard it was melanoma.

In the footage released on April 27, family friend Malika Haqq also weighed in, telling Kardashian she had never seen her in such low spirits. "Melanoma's deadly," Kardashian said. The trailer also included clips of Kardashian with a face bandage on, as well as a photo of her stitches. "This was way more serious than I anticipated it to be."

Kardashian originally shared the story behind her tumor removal in October 2022 on Instagram Stories, saying she needed a biopsy and urgent operation. "I have seen numerous stories going around about the ever-evolving bandage on my face, with some of you wondering why I've been wearing one for the past few weeks," Kardashian wrote before delving into the full timeline.

"After noticing a small bump on my face and assuming it was something as minor as a zit, I decided to get it biopsied 7 months after realizing it was not budging," she continued, showing a photo of the bump on her right cheek. "Dermatologist Tess Mauricio examined it, and a second biopsy was ran by Dr. Daniel Behroozan because what they both were seeing was incredibly rare for someone my age," Kardashian said in another photo.

"A few days later I was told I need to have an immediate operation to remove a tumor from my face." After receiving the news, she called her close surgeon friend Dr. Garth Fisher, who was the one person she trusted to "take incredible care of my face."

Following the surgery, Kardashian said she was still recovering, but assured her followers that everything seemed to be healing the way it should, with no signs of malignancy. "I'm grateful to share that Dr. Fischer [sic] was able to get everything - all my margins appear clear, and now we are onto the healing process," she wrote. "You'll continue to see my bandages and when I'm allowed, you'll probably see a scar (and an indentation in my cheek from the tumor being removed) but until then, I hope you enjoy how fabulous I'm making these face bandages look."

As a final note, Kardashian reminded those following her story to get tested for melanoma frequently, writing that she had melanoma on her back when she was 19 years old and needed surgery to remove it back then as well. "I am [predisposed] to melanomas. Even those who are not, we should be checking all the time," she wrote. She then took a moment to express her gratitude to all the doctors who helped her along her journey, saying, "I was lucky and all I have is a scar to tell a story with. Most people aren't as lucky as me and I am forever thankful and grateful."

The following month, in November, Khloé Kardashian gave another update on the status of her scar and the bandage she wore on the red carpet to the CFDA Fashion Awards. She admitted it was "not easy" to wear a bandage at such a high-fashion event, responding to a fan's tweet about how proud they were to see her taking care of her skin. "It will help my scar not stretch out any bigger than it has to be," she said, referring to the barely-there bandage on her cheek.

On her healing process, Kardashian said, "I do laser treatments on it and it's healing so so well. They want me to wear it for six months but I'm not sure I will go that long." She added that she's happy she's been so consistent with taking care of her scar, saying, "It's already been a couple months and I'm really proud that I've been this diligent with it."