Kevin Jonas has shared an important PSA with his Instagram followers: It’s crucial to get your skin checked by a dermatologist for any signs of skin cancer. In an Instagram reel posted on Tuesday, June 11, the 36-year-old Jonas Brothers singer revealed that he had surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma—a type of skin cancer—and urged his nearly five million followers to book an appointment with their provider for a checkup.
Basal cell carcinoma usually shows up as a clear bump on the skin, according to Mayo Clinic. It often appears on areas that get a lot of sun, like the head and neck. It’s believed to be caused by long-term sun exposure, which is why wearing broad-spectrum facial sunscreen with at least SPF 30 daily is so important.
“So today I am getting a basal cell carcinoma removed from my head,” he began the video while lying on a doctor’s table. “Yes, that is an actual little skin cancer guy that has started to grow. And now I have to get surgery to remove it, so here we go.”
In the clip, he quickly gave his fans a glimpse of the area where the mole was removed: The top right side of his head, just below his hairline. He didn’t show the incision post-treatment but recorded himself with his bandaged head in the car after the procedure.
“Alright, I’m all done,” he said in the car. “Now it’s time to heal. Heading home. Make sure to get those moles checked people.”
Jonas is far from the only celebrity as of late to urge their fans to get proactive about skin checks. Christie Brinkley took to Instagram this past March to open up about her journey with the same type of skin cancer as Jonas. Unlike the father of two, whose cancer was caught during a screening, Brinkley’s happened more randomly.
“It’s so important for people to get checked,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I happened to be accompanying my daughter, Alexa, and I said, ‘Oh, while you’re at it, can you just look at this?’ and he said, ‘Oh, I have to do a biopsy immediately.’”
She opened up more about her experience on Instagram. In a grid post, she shared a lengthy caption: “I had great Doctors that removed the cancer and stitched me up to perfection like an haute couture Dior,” she captioned a photo of her with a bandage on her head after surgery. “The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection!”
“I got serious a bit late so now for this ole mermaid/gardener, I’ll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide brim hat,” she continued. “And doing regular total body check ups..that is a MUST! I was lucky to find mine, because I was accompanying one of my daughters to HER check up.
The Doctor was looking at each freckle with a magnifying glass… it wasn’t my appointment so I wasn’t going to say anything but at the VERY end I asked if he could just look at a little tiny dot I could feel as I applied my foundation. He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy! He did it then and there! So make your own good luck by making that check up appointment today. And slather up my friends!”