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Cape Town - Former Miss Universe Margaret Gardiner is home and recovering after having a cancerous growth removed from her nose on Thursday.
South Africa’s first Miss Universe of 1978 revealed on the day of her operation that she’s known about the cancer for a while and that she was worried how its removal would affect her appearance.
She was discharged the same day and says, luckily, her nostrils and nose cartilage were intact.
“I’m hopeful the worst is over – provided they were able to remove all the cancer,” she told YOU after her surgery.
“The scars are limited to my nose but it remains to be seen how serious the damage is. I’ll only really know the extent of the wound once the bandages come off,” Margaret said.
“Forgive me – I won’t be sharing pictures of myself for a while. I’ll be sharing old pictures until I can build up the courage to be in front of a camera gain,” she wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
But since then, she says, she’s decided to encourage others in similar circumstances and to let her fans in on her road to recovery by sharing pictures on Facebook on Saturday.
“I’m sharing my experience to warn people, so they can be vigilant about changes on their skin.
“We’re a generation who worshipped the sun, who went outside in the middle of the day and covered ourselves in olive oil to tan. These days we’re better informed and I take care of my skin well,” Margaret writes on Facebook.
The 59-year-old is proud to be an activist for prevention and says she’s sharing her story with the youth to encourage them to use protective products on their skin.
