Melanie Griffith Cancer Fears: Actress Not Letting Health Struggles 'Get Her Down'

May 23 2023, Published 5:30 p.m. ET

Melanie Griffith stepped out earlier this month with bruises on her face and hand, sparking concerns that she is once again grappling with skin cancer.

The Working Girl actress, 65, still "gets regular check-ups," a source said, RadarOnline.com can exclusively report.

"If something is amiss, it gets taken care of right away. She's not letting it get her down," added the insider who said she kept her spirits up despite challenges along the way.

Florida-based Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who hasn't personally treated the JL Ranch star, speculated her latest marks and blotchy spots may be the result of dermabrasion, a procedure that removes the topmost skin cells.

The doctor said the unsightly bruising on Griffith when she exited the upscale Melanie Grant skincare salon on May 11 lined up with the telltale signs.

"Pre-skin cancers, called actinic keratoses, start on the outer layer of skin and then move down into deeper layers to eventually become skin cancers. Anything that removes the superficial layer can remove actinic keratoses — but not skin cancers," Mirkin told RadarOnline.com, adding that it may be an uphill battle for Griffith.

"After a person has skin cancers, their skin almost always ends up thinner and more wrinkled and looks more aged," he continued.

RadarOnline.com has reached out to reps for Griffith for comment.

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Griffith, whose daughters are Fifty Shades actress Dakota Johnson and model/entrepreneur Stella Banderas, has remained positive after sharing a photo of her bandaged nose back in 2018 following the procedure to remove skin cancer.

"If any of you have it, get it fixed. If you lay in the sun, are exposed to lots of sun, be CAREFUL," she advised at the time. "Use sunscreen. Get checked out by your dermatologist. If you don't have one, get one, or go to your nearest clinic and ask to be tested for it."

That same year, she talked about the toll it took on her mentally and the fears she had surrounding her career in the limelight.

"It's a scary thing when you're an actress and you depend on your face for work," she told InStyle. "I realize I have to put a Band-Aid on it, and it's fine. I just look like a dork."