PHOTOS Hugh Jackman treated for skin cancer

Wolverine star Hugh Jackman posted the above photo of his bandaged-up nose to Instagram today along with an important message to his fans:

Deb said to get the mark on my nose checked. Boy, was she right! I had a basil cell carcinoma. Please don’t be foolish like me. Get yourself checked. And USE sunscreen!!!

Deb is Hugh’s wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. Here is what the Skin Cancer Foundation’s official website has to say about Basal Cell Carcinoma:

BCCs are abnormal, uncontrolled growths or lesions that arise in the skin’s basal cells, which line the deepest layer of the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin). BCCs often look like open sores, red patches, pink growths, shiny bumps, or scars. Usually caused by a combination of cumulative UV exposure and intense, occasional UV exposure, BCC can be highly disfiguring if allowed to grow, but almost never spreads (metastasizes) beyond the original tumor site. Only in exceedingly rare cases can BCC spread to other parts of the body and become life-threatening.

There are an estimated 2.8 million cases of BCC diagnosed in the US each year. In fact, it is the most frequently occurring form of all cancers. More than one out of every three new cancers are skin cancers, and the vast majority are BCCs. It shouldn’t be taken lightly: this skin cancer can be disfiguring if not treated promptly.

Here’s a side-by-side of two recent photos of Hugh on the streets of New York City. On the left (11/16) you can see the mark on his nose and on the right (11/19) there’s a bandage.