According to a spokeswoman, Biden had surgery to remove skin cancer lesions

Just a few months after the 82-year-old former president was diagnosed with prostate cancer, a representative for Joe Biden announced Thursday that the former president had recently undergone Mohs surgery, a process used to remove skin cancer lesions.

The former president was shown with a scar on his forehead in a video that went viral online, but the spokesperson did not specify when the surgery was performed.

Mohs surgery is a procedure in which thin layers of skin are removed and examined under a microscope until the doctor sees no signs of skin cancer cells. It is usually used to treat malignant lesions that are fast-growing, have reappeared after prior therapy, or are located in sensitive locations like the hands, face, or genitalia.

Biden underwent surgery in 2023 while serving as president to remove a tumor from his chest, which subsequently turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. Biden’s White House doctor at the time, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, stated that “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and that Biden would continue “dermatological surveillance.”

The most prevalent kind of skin cancer is called basal cell carcinoma. It grows slowly and is typically treatable.

Biden was diagnosed in May with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that metastasized to his bones. Biden later told CNN he started a pill regimen to treat the cancer.

“We’re expected to be able to defeat this,” Biden said CNN. It’s in my robust bones, but it hasn’t invaded any organs. So, I’m feeling good.”