WWE’s John Cena has revealed to PEOPLE, he was previous diagnosed with skin cancer.
Now, as result of his previous skin cancer diagnosis, Cena is teaming up with Neutrogena for the ‘Sunscreen You Can’t See’ campaign. He will be the spokesperson for the brands recently released Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 70, that is a lightweight formula with an invisible finish.
Cena told PEOPLE that in his early twenties, he moved from New England to Florida where he “fell in love with the sun,” but admittedly “neglected” his skin. “I was stubborn. I didn’t want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me. And it’s one of those things where I had a ton of exposure with minimal protection and it caught up with me.”
Unfortunately for Cena, not taking care of his skin in the sun and the neglect resulted in consequences he didn’t plan on. “It wasn’t until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec.” After having the spot removed, Cena said he remembered the call: “You got to come back in.”
“I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn’t alone. The stats on this are overwhelming, but as much as I learn about them, those numbers don’t mean anything. I think the best way to hammer home a point is human-to-human connection. And I as a human can tell you: Man, that phone call’s not what you want to get because it is unpredictable and you don’t know how bad it’s going to be. A year later I went back and had another spot removed close to my right shoulder. It shows up like a white polka dot on the side of my chest and on my shoulder. If you watch WWE, you’ll be able to see them.”
When it comes to the need to wear sunscreen, Cena has some profound advice for those who might be hesitant about the need to apply sunscreen.
“If you’re out there and you brush your teeth, at a young age you learned that going to the dentist when your teeth are in bad shape is bad because it’s painful. The same thing will happen if you don’t take care of your skin, and it’s actually easier than brushing your teeth. Because it’s not something you should exercise to just make you look more beautiful. It’s something you should exercise to allow you to be who you are for a longer period of time. We all love to get out there on a sunny day and enjoy what the world has to offer. Gosh, just take that one extra step and brush your teeth and put on some Neutrogena Ultra Sheer, and you’ll be able to get a lot more days of doing that.”