Justin Thomas reveals scar from doctors catching early stages of skin cancer

Justin Thomas shared a personal scare, and subsequent scar, on his Instagram account Thursday afternoon.

Thomas, the No. 5 player in the world, wrote a visit to the dermatologist revealed that a mole on his leg was discovered to be in the early stages of melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

"Luckily, we found it at a time where there should be no problems going forward," Thomas said.

Thomas told Golf Digest the surgery happened on Monday. Unfortunately, Thomas was left with a gigantic incision to remove the mole.

Studies cited by the Skin Cancer Foundation have shown that, in the United States, cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer increased by 77 percent from 1994 to 2014, and that there will be 7.7 percent more melanoma cases this year than there were in 2018.

Thomas used his platform to urge his followers to schedule a check-up.

"No harm can come from it and it’s the best way to catch anything before it becomes a serious issue," Thomas said. "Especially for all the junior golfers (and other athletes) spending so much time in the sun. It is so important to make sure you’re monitoring your body - no matter how old you are or how much sunscreen you use. It really got my attention, and hoping it does the same to y’all!"

He later told Golf Digest that he shouldn’t miss any time and the doctor said he can do "normal stuff next week, but the stitches won’t come out until Monday morning of the Safeway Open.

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