Actor Jon Hamm, just snubbed at the 2013 Emmy Awards for lead actor in AMC’s “Mad Men,” is set to undergo throat surgery to remove a polyp on his vocal cords. A representative for the actor stated that it’s a “routine outpatient procedure to remove a single polyp from his throat.”

A vocal cord polyp, or nodule, is a mass of tissue which reduces or obstructs the ability of the vocal folds to create the rapid changes in air pressure that generate human speech. Symptoms include hoarseness, pain when speaking, frequent vocal breaks and reduced vocal range. Vocal cord polyps develop mostly in adult females and children. Those who work in constantly loud environments are most susceptible. It’s not uncommon for singers and actors to have throat surgeries to remove these growths – entertainers including Adele, Mariah Carey and John Mayer have all had similar procedures in the past. Hamm began coughing up blood, prompting him to go for surgery in Boston.

Jon Hamm is best known for his portrayal of chain-smoking adman “Don Draper.” Although the role requires him to smoke, Hamm gave up smoking actual tobacco when he was 24 – on set he smokes herbal cigarettes that don’t contain any tobacco or nicotine.

Hamm’s “Mad Men” performance earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. Hamm has also received eight Emmy nominations for his performance in “Mad Men” and “30 Rock”. The actor has appeared in the movies “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (2008), “Stolen” and “The Town” (2010), and “Sucker Punch” and “Bridesmaids” (2011).

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.