John Cena Reveals Past Skin Cancer Diagnosis, Teams with Nuetrogena for New Skin Care Campaign

PEOPLE held a recent interview with John Cena. One of the topics discussed included Cena revealing that he diagnosed with skin cancer in the past caused by him falling in “love with the sun” and neglecting his skin care during his early twenties.

“I was stubborn. I didn’t want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me. It’s one of those things where I had a ton of exposure with minimal protection and it caught up with me,” he reveals. “It wasn’t until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec. 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.”

Cena also gave his thoughts about his advice to others who might be hesitant about the need to apply sunscreen whenever they are out too long in the sun.

“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.”

Cena’s interview was also part of him teaming up with Nuetrogena for a new ‘Sunscreen You Can’t See’ campaign.