In the world’s first compelling argument in favor of zinc nose, Hugh Jackman has revealed he had cancerous cells on his nose.
The Wolverine actor revealed Thursday he underwent minor surgery to have skin cancer removed from his nose.
Jackman, 45, credits his wife Deborra-Lee Furness for discovering the cancer in an instagram post. She urged him to get the growth on his nose examined by a doctor and Jackman is now passing that advice on to his friends and fans, urging them to get any suspicious marks checked out.
“Deb said to get the mark on my nose checked. Boy, was she right! I had a basal cell carcinoma. Please don’t be foolish like me. Get yourself checked. And USE sunscreen!” Jackman wrote on instagram, accompanied by a picture of his bandaged nose.
Jackman’s specific type of skin cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. with almost 3 million people diagnosed with his type of skin cancer every year. It usually looks like a white or waxy bump or scar with visible blood vessels, or a scaly brown patch on the skin. While anyone may be susceptible, it is most common in people with pale skin and a history of freckles or moles. Using tanning beds or staying out in the sun without sunscreen increases the risk of developing this type of cancer exponentially. Most people won’t die from this type of skin cancer, but it’s important to treat it before it grows and starts to affect surrounding skin and bone – Don’t worry though, it takes a very long time to get to that stage. Treatment is usually quick and simple, with minor surgery, freezing the skin so the cancer dies, or applying a special ointment to the skin to kill the cancerous cells.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, politician John McCain, former First Lady Laura Bush, actress Melanie Griffith, and actors Ewan McGregor and William H. Macy were all affected by skin cancer in the past, but received the proper treatment and made a full recovery.
