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Jackman’s health scare part of big Aussie problem

Getty

Getty

Aussie export Hugh Jackman has warned his millions of fans about the dangers of the sun after revealing he had a skin cancer removed from his nose.

“An example of what happens when you don’t wear sunscreen,” posted Jackman on Instagram along with a selfie of his taped-up nose.

“Please use sunscreen and get regular check-ups,” he pleaded.

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This isn’t the first time Jackman has used his personal experience with the disease to warn his considerable social media following.

In late 2013, Jackman posted a similar selfie with a bandage on his nose, giving thanks to his wife Deborra-Lee Furness for convincing him to ask his GP about the lump.

“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.”

The mildest of the three skin cancer types, basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are not deadly, but they can leave you disfigured if untreated.

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“BCCs make up about 80 per cent of skin cancers,” Chair of the Cancer Council’s Public Health Committee Craig Sinclair told The New Daily.

Mr Sinclair said long-term exposure to the sun, as well as childhood exposure, commonly causes BCCs in older Australians.

“They are very common in Australia and they show up differently, but the bottom line is for anyone who has a spot that’s changing in size, shape or colour to get it checked.”

Mr Sinclair said only ‘squamous cell carcinomas’ and ‘melanomas’ are life-threatening, but that doesn’t mean BCCs should be ignored.

“They won’t spread into your lymph system but they will look terrible,” he said.

Click the owl for the five scariest Australian skin cancer facts  

As for Jackman, the actor said he would continue to get check-ups every three months and he expects to find more BCCs.

“It’s always a bit of a shock just hearing the word ‘cancer’,” he told People Magazine of his first scare in 2013.

The Bachelorette star posted this grisly warning on Instagram. Photo: Instagram

The Bachelorette star posted this grisly warning on Instagram. Photo: Instagram

“I never wore sunscreen growing up so I was a prime candidate for it. Being an Australian it’s a very common thing.”

He’s not wrong – one in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lives, and around 1500 Aussies lose their lives to skin cancer each year.

At the same time Jackman was opening up about his latest mole removal, former Bachelorette star Dave Billsborrow revealed his own brush with skin cancer, this one the size of a 50-cent piece.

The 30-year-old plumber also used his social media accounts to share a warning after the ignored carcinoma which grew considerably on his head.

Sorry for the gross photo. Hopefully this will get people thinking about skin cancer awareness,” he posted alongside the image of a huge scar on his scalp, held together with staples.

While some celebrities seem to be using their power to spread a healthy message regarding sun protection, self-professed health and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow has angered some fans by announcing she still enjoys unprotected tan sessions.

“I still tan without sunscreen, which is really, totally f***ed up,” laughed Paltrow in a video for Glamour Magazine.

Paltrow, who has previously extolled the virtues of SPF sunscreen on her lifestyle blog and marketplace GOOP, has even sold organic brands of sunscreen on the website.

See Hugh Jackman’s past skin cancer scares below:

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