First lady Jill Biden was undergoing an outpatient procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday to remove a small lesion found above her right eye.
- Advertisement · Scroll to continue -
The lesion was discovered during a routine skin cancer screening and doctors have recommended it protectively be removed and analyzed for any signs of cancer through a procedure called Mohs surgery.
- Advertisement · Scroll to continue -
The White House announced the procedure last week, with Dr. Kevin O’Connor saying, “In an abundance of caution, doctors have recommended that it be removed.”
- Advertisement · Scroll to continue -
First lady Jill Biden departs the White House on Jan. 11, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
- Advertisement · Scroll to continue -
“Mohs surgery is considered the most effective technique for treating many basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), the two most common types of skin cancer,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. “Sometimes called Mohs micrographic surgery, the procedure is done in stages, including lab work, while the patient waits. This allows the removal of all cancerous cells for the highest cure rate while sparing healthy tissue and leaving the smallest possible scar.”
Biden’s office hasn’t released a schedule so it is currently unclear what time the procedure will take place on Wednesday.
- Advertisement · Scroll to continue -
The first lady and President Biden were seen leaving the White House together on Wednesday morning as they boarded Marine One en route to Walter Reed.
First lady Jill Biden disembarks Marine One with President Joe Biden at Walter Reed Medical Center, where Mrs. Biden is scheduled to undergo Mohs surgery to remove a “small lesion” above her right eye, in Bethesda, Md., Jan. 11, 2023.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
The two arrived at the medical center just before 8 a.m. ET.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.