Joe Biden Reveals Skin Cancer Surgery After Being Seen with Large Scar on Forehead

The former president disclosed the procedure after he was spotted with an alarmingly large scar on his scalp. The surgery comes just four months after he revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis.

Joe Biden has undergone Mohs surgery, a procedure used to remove skin cancer. A spokesperson confirmed the news to PEOPLE after the former president was seen with a prominent scar on his forehead, faintly hidden beneath his hair.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Mohs surgery "is a precise, outpatient procedure to remove high-risk skin cancer while preserving healthy tissue." The process involves removing thin, microscopic layers of skin until there are no signs of cancer.

News of Biden's procedure emerged shortly after Inside Edition published a video of the 82-year-old leaving a church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Thursday, September 4.

In the footage, Biden can be seen shaking hands with fellow attendees. As the camera zooms in, a large gash can also be seen on his forehead. It's not the first time the veteran politician has had a cancerous lesion removed from his body.

In February 2023, a small lesion of basal cell carcinoma — the most common type of skin cancer — was removed from his chest. "All cancerous tissue was successfully removed," Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's appointed physician at the time, shared that March.

Then, earlier this year, in May, it was announced that Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. A spokesperson revealed that the disease had metastasized to the bone and that Biden and his family were exploring treatment options.