Jason Chambers is opening up about his recent health struggles.
In an Instagram video posted on Monday, the "Below Deck Down Under" captain revealed that he was diagnosed with melanoma after undergoing a biopsy on a "skin spot" in Bali, Indonesia.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in the melanocytes--the cells that make melanin, or the pigment that gives skin its color, the Mayo Clinic explained. This cancer often develops on skin that's often exposed to the sun.
"For someone that spent their life in the sun, as a child playing sport to working on the ocean, I thought I was resistant to the damaging effects of the sun," the 52-year-old reality star captioned his post.
"I love the sun and its health benefits are evident, but be wise and like everything in life, it’s all about balance, choose your battles."
In the clip, Chambers explained that upon returning to Australia, his doctors suggested taking a deeper look at the specimen.
"The Australian doctors here, which are fantastic in Australia, they weren’t happy with what the indications told them to go to stage two which would be to cut out a bigger section and test the glands," the Australian celebrity explained.
Australia has the highest rates of melanoma in the world. According to data from the Melanoma Institute Australia, one Australian is diagnosed with melanoma every 30 minutes, while one dies every six hours from the disease.
Because of the prevalence of the cancer type in the country, Chambers urged his 344,000 followers to wear a hat and use chemical-free sunscreen whenever under the sun.
"Make sure you throw on some sunscreen, get some shade, cover yourself up, and enjoy your day under the sun," he suggested.
In the U.S., melanoma only accounts for 1% of all skin cancer cases. About 8,290 people are expected to die of this cancer this year, the American Cancer Society noted.
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