You probably saw the photos. It’s hard to miss. A long, dark, slightly jagged line running across the forehead of former President Joe Biden. In late 2025, those images of him leaving a church in Delaware didn't just go viral; they sparked a wave of genuine concern and, predictably, a ton of internet rumors.
Some people thought it was a head injury. Others whispered about secret surgeries.
Honestly, the truth is a lot more "normal," though no less serious for an 82-year-old man. The biden scar on head isn't some mystery or a sign of a hidden stroke. It’s the visible result of a very specific medical procedure called Mohs surgery, used to treat skin cancer.
That "Gash" on His Forehead Explained
When the footage first hit the news cycles around Labor Day weekend in 2025, people were shocked. Biden was seen outside St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Greenville, and the mark on his forehead looked like a "giant gash" according to some tabloids.
It looked fresh. It looked painful.
But his spokesperson, Kelly Scully, cleared the air pretty quickly. Biden had undergone Mohs microscopic surgery to remove skin cancer lesions. If you've never heard of Mohs, it’s basically the gold standard for treating common skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), especially when they pop up on the face.
How Mohs Surgery Works
Doctors don't just cut a big circle and hope for the best.
- They numb the area.
- They shave off a very thin layer of skin.
- They look at that layer under a microscope right then and there.
- If they see cancer cells at the edges, they go back and take another thin layer.
- They repeat this until the "margins" are clear.
This is why the scar looked so long. To make sure the edges of the wound can be sewn back together cleanly without leaving a weird "pucker" or "dog ear" in the skin, surgeons often have to make the incision much longer than the original spot. That’s likely why a small lesion turned into a multi-inch scar.
It Wasn't His First Bout With Cancer
The Biden family and cancer have a long, tragic history. We all know about Beau Biden’s passing from a brain tumor in 2015. But Joe himself has been fighting various forms of the "Big C" for years.
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Back in February 2023, while he was still in the White House, he had a basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest. At the time, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said all the tissue was gone and no further treatment was needed besides "dermatologic surveillance."
Basically, it means he has to get checked... a lot.
Then came the bigger news in May 2025. His office announced he’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had unfortunately spread to his bones (Stage 4). By the time people saw the biden scar on head a few months later, he was already in the middle of a much larger health battle.
Let’s Talk About the Old Scars
If you look at older photos of Biden, you might notice other marks or indentations. Those aren't from skin cancer.
In 1988, Biden nearly died.
He had two life-threatening brain aneurysms. He actually described feeling an "electric surge" in his head before being rushed to Walter Reed. He had two separate surgeries to clip those aneurysms—one on the right side and one on the left.
Those surgeries involve a craniotomy. That’s where they literally remove a piece of the skull to get to the brain. While those scars are mostly hidden by his hair, they are the reason some people have been "scar-watching" for decades.
Why This Matters for the Rest of Us
It’s easy to get caught up in the politics or the drama of a former president’s health. But there’s a practical takeaway here. Biden is fair-skinned. He spent a lot of time outdoors in his youth.
He’s the "poster child" for why dermatologists nag us about sunscreen.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common cancer in the world. It rarely kills you, but it’s "locally invasive." That means if you ignore it, it just keeps eating through tissue, muscle, and even bone. Biden’s recent forehead scar is a reminder that even with the best doctors in the world, the surgery to fix a "simple" skin cancer can be pretty intense.
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Real Actions You Should Take
If you see a spot on your head or face that looks like what Biden dealt with, don't wait.
- The "Pimple" That Won't Heal: If you have a red bump that bleeds, scabs, and then comes back in the same spot for more than three weeks, see a pro.
- The Pearly Bump: Basal cell often looks like a shiny, translucent pimple.
- Get a Full Body Check: Once a year. Seriously. A dermatologist can see things behind your ears or on your scalp that you’ll never notice.
The biden scar on head eventually faded, as most Mohs scars do with good care and time. But it served as a very public lesson in the reality of aging, sun damage, and the importance of catching things early.
Check your skin. Use your SPF. Don't ignore the "non-healing" spots. For more detailed information on identifying these lesions, you can visit the Skin Cancer Foundation's guide to Basal Cell Carcinoma.