Hugh Jackman may play a superhero who can regrow limbs, but the actor is mortal and taking precautions. Jackman, 46, recently confirmed that he had a basel cell carcinoma removed from the side of his nose for the third time in a year. Jackman was spotted out with a bandaid recently, and he instagrammed a message to his fans, a reference to Baz Luhrman’s 1998 spoken word song “Wear Sunscreen.” (That song, despite the male narrator, is a recreation of a commencement speech by Chicago Times’ columnist Mary Schmich. Rumor had it that Kurt Vonnegut gave that speech. He did not.)
The photos here are of Hugh in May after an earlier treatment, so you can see how he looks with a bandaid obscuring his handsome face. There are newer photos of Hugh with a bandaid here. Jackman’s rep told E! that his client was “all good” after his third skin cancer removal. E! recalls an earlier conversation they had with Jackman about his skin cancer. He has the most treatable kind, which he blames on “being lazy” and not using sunscreen.
The Australian hunk had a basal cell carcinoma removed in November 2013 as well as in May of this year. The X-Men star spoke to E! News about the condition at the time, saying, “So just to be clear, it is skin cancer—it’s a basal cell carcinoma, which of all the skin cancers, is the most minor.”
“But you do need to take care of it immediately,” he clarified, “because it’s growing.”
Indeed, this type of cancer is usually entirely treatable, but only if it’s caught early enough. For that reason, Jackson encourages others to be proactive about their health, telling E! News, “It doesn’t matter who you are, get checkups.”
He’s following his own advice too, and staying on top of those visits to the dermatologist. “I’m realistic about the future and it’s more than likely that I’ll have at least one more but probably many more, which is not uncommon for an Aussie particularly from English stock growing up in Australia where I don’t remember ever being told to put sunscreen on,” he said, per Fox News. “But the beauty of this is it’s all preventable, it’s just about getting proper check-ups. I can be typical man, a little lazy, I couldn’t be bothered and now I’m not lazy at all.”
He’s all about the SPF these days, too, and wants others to protect their skin, too! “Wear sunscreen!” he told E! News earlier this year. “Don’t be like me as a kid. Trust me, wear sunscreen!”
[From E! Online]
We’ve heard this advice from celebrities before, but somehow I think I’ll remember it more coming from Hugh Jackman than from someone like Jennifer Garner. In fact I thought of Hugh Jackman when I was applying my sunscreen this morning. Maybe thinking of Hugh Jackman will help me put on sunscreen every day without fail. Hugh Jackman.
This was a great excuse for me to look through Jackman’s Instagram, which was an incredibly pleasant way to spend my morning. There’s Jackman catching a fish, Jackman playing ping pong, and Jackman grabbing himself in slow mo to raise awareness for testicular cancer. There are also plenty of photos of Jackman with his constant companion, a French Bulldog named Dali. I love my job. Hugh is about to star on Broadway in The River, which is described as “a sinister but poetic drama” which takes place in “in a remote cabin on a cliff on a moonless night.”
photo credit: WENN.com and Instagram/Hugh Jackman
I have to ask, do you have to wear sunscreen only in warm/very sunny countries or also in countries like England for example where it’s often rainy.
From personal experience, it doesn’t matter where you live. My late step-dad grew up in Spain but moved to Canada in his late 20’s and died from complications relating to skin cancer (it was a melanoma that metastasized to a brain tumor, which is what killed him in the end).
He was a guy who NEVER tanned, who never used to lie out in the sun and would wear long sleeved shirts in the middle of summer. Wearing sunscreen all the time is the best thing to do, though of course you’re less “exposed” if you live in a greyer climate. I can only imagine how much sun exposure Hugh Jackman got, being an Australian. I hope the third time is the last time he has to deal with BCC.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/226167.php
I’ve read that you should wear sunscreen every time you go out no matter what the weather is like.
Everywhere. There is still sun even when it’s cloudy and rainy.
“It is easy to skip the sunscreen when it isn’t sunny outside but according to Dr. Judith Reichman, “even when the sun doesn’t appear to be shining brightly, its rays are there, working their damage.” There are two types of sun’s rays which reach the earth: UVB and UVA. UVB rays cause immediate damage to your skin. These rays are responsible for tanning or burning your skin. UVA rays are those that are responsible for aging your skin and are able to reach your skin through clouds, smog or glass. The American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD) indicates that up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays can pass through clouds.”
@ Birdie
Hey we do have summers in the UK as well you know!! 🙂
And, in answer to your question, yes we do need to wear sunscreen sometimes.
There’s no way to answer that. It’s like asking how many cigarettes you can safely smoke without getting cancer. Every time you let the sun damage your skin, you buy more tickets in the cancer lottery, and while most of those tickets will not be a “winner”, any one of them could be.
Sunscreen and not smoking are just a way to avoid buying tickets.
I wear sunscreen everyday, rain or shine.
Ok I know I often say Bill Murray is EVERYTHING but Hugh Jackman is EVERYTHING +1
Love him.
Stay well Hugh. You are your sunscreen are welcome at my house anytime.
Bill Murray is still everything. Let’s not get carried away here.
How about this. In the interest of peace…
Tue, Wed, Thurs – Bill Murray is Everything
Fri, Sat, Sun – Hugh Jackman is Everything
Mon – AnnE Mondays (This term is negotiable depending on my level of inebriation at the time)
IT’S BILL MURRAY, PEOPLE.
I know!!! But allow me to explain.
I am an olfactory type of gal and Hugh seems like he smells a little better.
I back Jaderu’s plan.
Exactly, mimif. There is no room for Jackmans in the ⚫️BILL MURRAY⚫️ category, most especially not AnnEs. I think Jaderu should be forced to resign and have all voting rights suspended at once. And how can we even have this conversation without mentioning BRAMHALL?
Um. Didn’t Bill Murray beat his wife or do I have him mixed up with someone else? The second wife, the one he was cheating on his first wife with.
I have a feeling my “AnnE Mondays” isn’t going to be the smash hit I thought it would be.
Ok I’m for giving mondays to Bramhall.
@An
hands on my ears and saying “lalalalala” so I can’t hear you
@An, I’ve never heard that before and I’m kind of a restraining order BILL MURRAY stan.
@Jaderu, dude. DUDE. No. The End. @mia girl, you’re fired by proxy.
And last but not least: ⚫️BRAMHALL⚫️
ETA: *restores mia girl’s quiet dignity*
Ya try to do something nice for someone (AnnE is paying me) and this is the thanks I get.
*pouts and commences with plans for “No Handshake Tuesdays”*
Can we shake on that? It’s still fly season here and I just sneezed.
Ugh, ginger former swimmer here. My skin cancer scares started at 19. Wear. Sunscreen.
Former swimmer here, too. And lifeguard in the 80s when sunscreen wasn’t “cool.” Plus family history and coloring that is more prone to skin cancer than others. My file at the dermatologist has a big fluorescent orange sticker that says “history alert.” Good times.
Glad he’s ok. And yes, people, heed what he says!
Boy can I relate to that. Light eyes and skin does put you at a higher risk. I just had a questionable “thingy” removed from my temple. Hands to the sky, it wasn’t cancerous. Keep the faith and sunscreen close at hand…
Sunscreen saves lives. I tell my dad (and now my boyfriend) that all the time. My skin is so fair, my mom used to make me wear a shirt to go swimming because not even spf 50 could keep me from burning. I hated it, but I thank her for that now. Ironically, she tans very well, so she never used sunscreen… it’s not just to keep you from burning people!
Do you know if regular shirts work or do you need the special sunscreen shirts to protect against UVA and UVB? I had a small squamous cell carcinoma removed from my shoulder. Very scary. My doctor said to always wear at least SPF 30 but I didn’t ask about the clothing. I try and wear the sunscreen shirts when I’m jogging or at outdoor events.
it’s virtually impossible not to love this guy.
I don’t even think they had sunscreen when I was a kid, I’m giving my mother the benefit of the doubt there, all I remember is white nose zinc. And that was a joke, right? But now my kids are pretty much dipped in it. Then I worry about THOSE chemicals. I read there are a bunch of additives not allowed in the US that make for much better sunscreen?
Go for the zinc or titanium oxide sunscreens. These are physical blockers rather than chemical ones that seep into your skin. The Environmental Working Group also has a great guide.
This. Not all sunscreens are created equal and you need to read the labels to see what you’re getting.
So glad he caught it early and he’s getting checked out regularly! My mom got the same kind of cancer on her face and fortunately we caught it early. Weirdly, if you catch it in the earliest stage they can actually use a medicated skin cream to kill the cancer.
As a Angleo Saxon person living in Australia, I still often get sunburnt despite wearing sunscreen.
What a great man he is, I just hope he’ll be okay.
He’s so awesome. Wishing him the best.
Rock on, Hugh Jackman! Earlier this year I had surgery for stage 2 melanoma at the ripe old age of 28. We need to be more aware of skin cancer and its prevalence. Glad he’s speaking up for an important issue – skin cancer can be largely avoidable and increased awareness is the first step.
Hope you’re ok and all clear at the mo! And you’re so right about increasing awareness too. I’ve been taught what to look for after getting a checkup and having some knowledge makes a world of difference.
Only problem is that not all skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. Malignant melanoma has other causes besides sun exposure. Even though sunscreen use has increased over the years, malignant melanoma cases are increasing too.
Heredity plays a major role – so if your parents or grandparents have any history, please take extra steps to protect your skin!
People can often underestimate just how brutal the sun can be Australasia way too (Kiwi here). Can’t find the exact links but there are holes in the ozone above Aus/NZ which means that we get absolutely nailed with a double whammy when it comes to sun. I often catch up with East Coast American relatives in Hawaii and I’ll be bringing along SPF50+ and they’ll be rubbing on SPF6-7 and I just want to ask them why they just don’t rub cooking oil on themselves?
DanRad and Hugh on the same day? Gah.
I inherited fair skin from my mother and she always told me that 80% of signs of aging on your skin come from sun exposure. I decided a long time ago that if I was going to get old and wrinkly eventually, I would do it gracefully. I grew up in Florida where everyone’s tan. In high school people used to make fun of my paleness constantly because I didn’t lay out in the sun/wore sunscreen everyday. I went to my 10 year reunion 5 years ago and I have to say I looked significantly younger than everyone else there.
same here, friends used to tease me for wearing sunscreen. now the laugh’s on them, lol. been in florida 10 years
Wear sunscreen, hats (or use an umbrella) and sunglasses. All. The. Time.
Oh, to be that dog!
It’s not the sun exposure, it’s the sunburning. We need sun exposure to manufacture vitamin D in our bodies. Yes, we can take supplements, but it’s not the same as getting it naturally. As for wearing sunscreen, please make sure it’s as natural as possible because many brands of sunscreen in the U.S. have carcinogenic ingredients.
Yes, you read that right – something that is used to prevent cancer has potentially cancer-causing things in it! Just like mammograms! (Radiation has a side effect of sometimes causing cancer. Thermal thermography and MRI are more effective and don’t cause cancer.) Or CT scans. (Gives the equivalent of over 1,000 x-rays’ radiation at once, or more, depending upon the machine.)
Find natural sunscreens or make your own. Don’t let yourself get sunburned, and get your vitamin D. Many people with cancer have been found to have low vitamin D levels. Best wishes!
This.
I am the same age as Hugh Jackman and have had 6 cancerous spots removed in the past 5 years. All of these spots were from sun exposure I got as a child, when sunscreen didn’t exist. I have used sunscreen religiously as an adult, but to no avail. Hugh is right, use sunscreen on yourself, but more importantly, on your kids!!
He really is perfect, isn’t he? Really sympathize with him with the skin cancers, and his willingness to share his story. A bit of stereotyping here, but most men are so reluctant to wear sunscreen/see a dermatologist regularly. Honestly, watch any PGA event- when those guys take off their hats- the differences in skin tone on their faces/heads is scary. They should line up A sun screen manufacturer as a sponsor!