mohs surgery finds three lesions on jill biden's face
mohs surgery is a noninvasive and relatively common procedure.
3 minute read
the u.s. first lady is undergoing a common outpatient procedure 'out of an abundance of caution,' the white house says. reuters/raquel cunha
jill biden, first lady of the united states, had mohs surgery yesterday to remove three lesions, two of which were cancerous.
according to the washington post, doctors reported that one lesion above her right eye was basal cell carcinoma, as was the other which was found on the left side of her chest. the third lesion, on biden’s left eyelid, was also removed and sent for testing — doctors concluded that it was unlikely to be cancerous. she was doing well, despite some facial swelling and bruising, said presidential physician kevin o’connor in a statement.
what is mohs surgery?
mohs surgery is a specific form of micrographic surgery that’s used to treat cancer or other skin issues on the face. when cancer is internal, surgery usually involves removing both the visible cancer and small amounts of the healthy tissue that surrounds it. but mohs is more precise, removing thin layers of skin one at a time. the goal, according to the mayo clinic , is to cause minimal damage to the surrounding tissue while still removing all of the cancerous skin. it’s generally used on areas of the skin where it’s important to keep as much healthy tissue as possible, such as the face.
first, the area being operated on will be numbed, so that the patient doesn’t feel pain — they are awake during the procedure. one layer of skin will be removed and analyzed, and then frozen, sliced, and analyzed under a microscope, npr news explains. if cancer or other abnormal cells are detected, the process will be repeated until the only skin left is healthy.
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the procedure is done on an outpatient basis: people can generally return home immediately following the surgery. and though it can be hard to predict in advance how long the process will take — it may be only a few hours, if the skin abnormalities don’t impact multiple layers of skin, or it may have to be repeated multiple times. usually, though, it’s completed in under four hours. at the end of the process, according to the mayo clinic, the patient and their surgeon will generally discuss how to deal with the resulting wound. if it’s minor, it may simply heal on its own. in some cases, stitches may be required, or skin from another part of the body — such as behind the ear — may be grafted onto the wound.
early detection is crucial for skin cancer
skin cancer is very common. more than 80,000 cases are diagnosed in canada every year, according to the canadian skin cancer foundation (cscf). the majority of skin cancer cases are basal cell carcinomas, which rarely spread, but can become large enough to cause disfigurement and serious enough to cause blindness, the cscf says. when diagnosed and treated early, though, the recovery rates are very good.
prevention is also important. to avoid skin cancer, especially around the eyes, experts recommend wearing sunglasses and a hat in sunny weather, and wearing sunscreen every day, even if the sun’s not out or you’re not spending time outdoors.
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if you want to learn more about skin cancer, visit the canadian skin cancer foundation or the canadian cancer society.
maija kappler is a reporter and editor with healthing.
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