With warmer weather nearly here, actor Hugh Jackman is encouraging fans to protect their skin and pile on the sunscreen amid his recent cancer scare.
The Australian actor made his plea Monday during an Instagram video in which he also revealed he’s awaiting the results of skin cancer tests after his doctor spotted irregularities that “could be or could not be basal cell [carcinoma].”
Jackson, who is sporting plaster on his nose, said he required had a biopsy in two different spots.
Early signs of basal cell carcinoma typically appear on the head, face and neck asslightly translucent bumps; a lesion that is blue, black or brown in color; a flat, scaly patch with a raised edge; or a waxy scar-like lesion, according to Mayo Clinic. The cancer — which is the result of the abnormal, uncontrolled growth of basal cells — usually does not spread beyond its origin and is treatable when caught early enough.
Jackson reiterated the point, emphasizing that basal cell carcinoma is “the least dangerous of them all.” But that doesn’t mean people should feel safe in the sun, he added.
“If I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, please wear sunscreen,” he said.
This is far from the first time Jackman has encouraged fans to take necessary steps to protect themselves from the sun’s harsh glow. The first time he had skin cancer removed from his nose was in 2013, after his wife urged him to go in for a checkup, according to People.
He also had the same procedure done in February 2017, May 2014 and November 2013.