Former President Joe Biden emerged from private life on Thursday sporting a sizable bandage on his forehead after undergoing a surgical procedure that doctors say is another sign of cancer.
Biden has previously battled skin cancer, a diagnosis that flared up again and required the outpatient procedure. Fans and observers expressed worry online after the 82-year-old was seen in public with what appeared to be a giant gash on his forehead.
Aides to Biden later said that he went in for a procedure known as Mohs surgery, a specialized treatment for skin cancer. It’s unclear what type of skin cancer afflicted Biden.
Mohs surgery traditionally obtains biopsies of the skin in extremely thin layers to examine them for the presence of cancerous or abnormal cells, according to Fox News. Former First Lady Jill Biden underwent the same procedure in 2023 when she sought treatment for a cancerous cell cluster over her right eye.
The Democrat has been treated for skin cancer on multiple occasions over his lifetime. He last sought treatment for basal cell carcinoma in 2023 and had several non-melanoma skin cancers before his presidency.
Video of Biden leaving Rehoboth Beach over Labor Day weekend was obtained by Inside Edition.
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The wound and its covering became even more pronounced as Biden approached a group of supporters on the sidewalk to shake hands and thank them for their well-wishes.
The sighting on Sunday came after Biden was seen dropping by an ice cream shop while wearing a baseball cap that covered much of the wound.
In late August, Biden was spotted again with a bandage over the wound as he attended the funeral of former Delaware Gov. and U.S. Rep. Mike Castle at St. Joseph at the Brandywine Church in Greenville, Fox News reported.
It’s the latest in a long line of health struggles for Biden that gained public attention long before he left office.
For most of his presidency, Biden drew scorn from critics who accused the White House of covering up his mental decline. A disastrous debate against President Donald Trump sealed the deal on his reelection hopes, and he dropped out of the race several weeks later.
Then, in May, the former president announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He is currently undergoing treatment.
Doctors characterized the cancer with a Gleason score of 9 out of 10, one of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
“Cancer touches us all,” former President Biden wrote on social media at the time. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.”
