John Cena never thought it could happen to him. But then he got the call — twice. The spots on his skin turned out to be cancerous.
The first spot was discovered during a routine visit to the dermatologist, on the left pectoral muscle. The second spot appeared a year later, on the upper part of the left shoulder.
"I got the call twice: 'You have to come back, because the biopsy came back cancerous,'" Cena recalls.
“This was a big blow and made me change my lifestyle.”
The 17-time WWE world champion, and now the face of a skin-protecting cream campaign, says he had always neglected to use SPF. But now he's made it part of his daily routine, calling it a way to show "gratitude" after battling cancer.
“Skincare is a more acceptable topic among women,” he says. “It’s harder for men to talk about these things. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Men are becoming more aware of self-care… I think we need to make it more mainstream.”
Cena wants to close the "gender gap" in SPF use
Women are more than twice as likely to use sunscreen, but after age 50, men are at higher risk of developing melanoma than women. And at any age, men are more likely to die from melanoma.
“SPF is more common in women's vocabulary because it is directly related to beauty,” says Cena.
Many young people are being diagnosed with cancer
Scientists have not yet determined the exact reason for the increase in cancer cases in young people, but the good news is that cancer mortality has decreased over recent decades, although cases have increased.
For those concerned about the risk — daily use of SPF is a good start.
Cena's final advice for men
He doesn't care why someone decides to use SPF — for beauty or for health — as long as they use it.
“If someone uses SPF because they don't want wrinkles, it's like someone going to the gym to build muscle. But building muscle comes from healthier choices. Even if you start out for aesthetic reasons, the benefits are greater. It's the same with SPF.”
“My perspective on life has changed, but it took a shocking piece of news to happen,” he says. “I don’t want anyone to get to that point, so I’m using my platform to prevent that.”
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Source: Yahoo News
