Jojo Robinson, star of The Real Housewives of Durban (RHOD), recently shared an update on her battle with invasive skin cancer. The cancer is affecting her health—and her tattoos.
Diagnosis & Surgery
-
Doctors found six invasive skin cancer spots on her chest and back.
Advertisement -
She had surgery to remove them. The cuts were deep and large, and she may need skin grafts.
-
Because of the type of skin cancer, she will have to monitor it for the rest of her life.
Tattoo Loss: A Tough Side Effect
-
Jojo has tattoos covering 70–90% of her body, costing R200,000–R300,000 over the years.
-
Her back tattoo alone took over 30 hours of painful work.
-
Surgery removed large sections of skin from her back, so major parts of that tattoo are gone forever.
-
Before surgery, she posted a goodbye to her back piece on Instagram: “I loved her as she is… I wore it proudly.” A fan reminded her that tattoos tell your story on the outside, and surgery is just the next chapter.
What Did NOT Cause the Cancer
-
Tattoos are not to blame. Jojo shut down online rumors. Her cancer is genetic (her mother had it too, with no tattoos) plus UV exposure from the African sun on her light skin.
-
Tattoos did create a problem for doctors: With 90% of her body inked, it was hard to find clean, tattoo-free skin to use for possible grafts.
Where She Stands Now
-
Jojo admitted the news made her sad and quiet on social media for a few weeks.
-
Now she’s focused on recovery and using her platform to urge everyone—especially in sunny places like South Africa—to get regular skin checks.
