NEED TO KNOW
Carrie Preston appeared on Busy Philipps’ QVC+ and HSN+ talk show, Busy This Week, with a sparkling strip of colorful gems on her cheek
The Elsbeth actress shared that she’s recovering from skin cancer surgery — and that she discovered her diagnosis while filming the season 2 finale of the CBS show
“If I’m going to wear something on my face, I’m going to make it fashion,” she said of her sparking silicone strip
Carrie Preston made a dazzling appearance — literally — on Busy This Week, sharing the scary reason behind her sparkling face jewels and how it created a bonding experience with her costars.
“You might notice that I am sporting some face jewelry,” the Elsbeth actress, 58, told Busy Philipps during an appearance on her QVC+ and HSN+ talk show.
“I’ve noticed the face jewels. They’re beautiful,” Philipps, 46, replied. “What’s the story behind the face jewels?“
Preston shared that while shooting Elsbeth’s season 2 finale, they had a “big musical number” — with “incredible” guest stars like Mary Louise Parker, Retta, and Alyssa Milano. “You have these down times between when you’re just hanging out. So, I’m hanging out with these incredible women, and everyone kept asking me, ‘What are you going to do on your hiatus?’ “
Michael Parmelee/CBS
Carrie Preston in the CBS hit ‘Elsbeth.’
Preston’s plans, she said, were pretty bleak: Just one hour earlier, she learned that a mole on her cheek had tested positive for basal cell carcinoma. It’s the most common skin cancer, Verywell Health explains. It’s treatable if caught early, but the outlet reports, “If these cancers are not recognized and treated, they can lead to disfigurement, complications and even death.”
“I was like, “Oh my God, what am I doing on my hiatus? I’m going to have to get it removed.’ ” She shared that she was “shocked and a little bit ashamed,” thinking “ ‘What did I do wrong?’ “
But she said she decided to share her diagnosis with the women on the show.
“I just was honest, and I was like, “This just happened, and I’ve got to get this surgery. I’ve never even heard of this surgery before … it’s called a Mohs. I don’t even know how it works,’ ” she told her costars.
It’s a slow, deliberate procedure, John Hopkins Medicine explains, “Mohs surgery is a method for treating skin cancer lesions. During this procedure, the surgeon removes thin layers of skin one layer at a time and examines each layer under a microscope to determine if any cancer remains. This procedure continues until only cancer-free tissue remains.”
Her costars, Preston said, immediately surrounded her with support. “Mary Louise Parker was like, ‘My friend just did that. Let me get on the phone.’ Within 5 minutes, I was talking to a doctor’s office. I had an appointment for the following week.”
She shared that it ended up being an “amazing” experience. “These women just, like, rallied around me. “
Preston says that her surgery was “a little more involved than I would have wanted.” “Right now I have a scar that’s healing under here. So, I have to wear these silicone scar strips,” she said of her glittering cheek.
“So, I was like, if I’m going to wear something on my face, I’m going to make it fashion.”
Philipps praised her look: “I love it.”
Of face jewelry, Preston said, “It’s a thing.”
“I’m basically just wearing what the kids wear to raves on my face.”
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