For Busy Philipps, prevention is protection.
The actress and "Dawson's Creek" alum, who was previously diagnosed with a brain tumor, opened up about the health scare during an appearance on the "Today" show Wednesday, Oct. 14.Philipps, 47, revealed in an August interview with People magazine that she underwent two surgeries this year to remove the growth after doctors discovered it during a full-body MRI scan
."I'm good, I'm great. It's healed!" Philipps told hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones. "My makeup artist, as my hair was getting done, she was like, 'It's incredible how good [the surgery] is.' It's really wild because they really go in there, honey."
Philipps previously said the tumor was discovered after she underwent the Prenuvo scan in February. The examination revealed a lesion on her brain, prompting further testing. A biopsy identified the mass as a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare type of brain tumor.
Although Philipps was on the fence about getting the scan, which came amid the death of her "Dawson's Creek" costar James Van Der Beek, the actress told "Today" that the procedure ultimately played a crucial role in her treatment.
"Early detection is key with so many cancers, and in my case, that preventative medicine scan saved my life," Philipps said.
Philipps, who's starring on the new CBS legal drama "Cupertino," shared that one of the more difficult parts of her health ordeal was breaking the news of her diagnosis to her eldest daughter, Birdie, who graduated from high school earlier this year.
"She was in boarding school, and she was home on a break when we found out and when I had the surgery," Philipps said. "She's in this moment in her life where her life is just starting and all of a sudden being hit with the reality that something could be really terribly wrong with her mom.
"I just kept saying to her, 'I promise you, you're not in the movie where your mom dies your senior year of high school,'" Phillipps said. "'You're in the movie where your mom has a brain tumor and then is on a TV show.'"
Contributing: Sameen Chaudhry, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Busy Philipps shares health update after brain tumor diagnosis
