Actor Hugh Jackman wants you to wear sunscreen.
The 47-year-old, best known for his role as Wolverine, took to social media on Monday to reveal he has recently undergone treatment to have skin cancer cells removed from his face.
This is the fifth time in three years that the Australian actor has received treatment for skin cancer.
"Being an Australian it's a very common thing. I never wore sunscreen growing up so I was a prime candidate for it," Jackman told People Magazine of his basal cell carcinoma diagnosis in 2013. The actor went on to reveal he had undergone four surgeries over the span of 18 months to have the cancer removed from his nose and shoulder.
As a result of those treatments, Jackman has been vocal about skin cancer prevention on social media and even launched kids' sunscreen line, Pure Sun Defense, in 2015.
“I’m a father and want my children – all kids, really – to protect themselves against the health risk of skin cancer, since it’s so easy to do so,” he said in a statement around the time of the product launch.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most frequently occurring form of skin cancer, accounting for 70 per cent of all skin cancers. It is one of the easiest to treat, since it very rarely spreads.
BCC is described as open sores, red patches, pink growths, shiny bumps, or scars and is a result of both intense and occasional sun exposure.
It is believed that two in three Australians will be diagnosed with this form of skin cancer before the age of 70. Australia has the highest skin cancer rates in the world, three times higher than those in Canada.
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