John Cena, 48, Shares How Cancer Diagnosis Changed His Perspective On Life

John Cena has shared his experience with skin cancer, offering advice to others.

He was diagnosed with melanoma on two occasions: initially on his left pectoral muscle and then a year later on his left upper trapezius muscle.

“I received the phone call twice, ‘Hey, you’ve got to come back, because the biopsy came back cancerous,'” Cena recalled

“That information is sobering, and it right there prompted me to change my life.”

Following his skin cancer scare, the 17-time WWE Champion stated that he made applying sunscreen a regular part of his daily routine.

“Skincare is a more palatable and accepted term and subject matter amongst women,” he told USA Today.

“Discussions between men can be more difficult to initiate. But it doesn’t have to be that way,” he stressed.

“Men especially, are becoming more conscious of self-care… I just think we need to make it more commonplace.”

Women are twice as likely as men to use sunscreen, yet by the age of 50, men have a higher risk of developing melanoma than women.

However, regardless of age, men are more likely to die from melanoma than women, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

“SPF is more common in the vernacular of women, and that’s because it is directly correlated with beauty,” Cena said.

Women’s morning skincare routine offers an ideal opportunity for applying sunscreen, a step that Cena emphasized men need to focus on more.

“If someone uses SPF, because they don’t want to get wrinkles, it’s like someone going to the gym saying, ‘I want to be ripped.’ But being ‘ripped’ is essentially making healthier choices,” he explained.

“So you can go to the gym for aesthetic purposes, but the reward of training goes far more than just aesthetic beauty. I think SPF is in the same lane.”

“I’ve done some pretty aspirational things in the strength and health department, as far as nutritional choices and training regimens, and that’s really complicated, difficult stuff,” he said.

Cena compared wearing SPF to “brushing your teeth,” emphasizing how simple it is to incorporate into a daily routine. He expressed a wish to see a tube of sunscreen placed right next to men’s toothpaste, encouraging them to remember to use it every day.

“My perspective on life has changed, but it took some real sobering news,” he said.

“I don’t want anybody to get there, so I’m just trying to use my platform to get ahead of that one.”