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An angry rash seen on the back of President Donald Trump’s neck on Monday sparked many rumors, given Trump’s advanced age, his refusal to share his health records, his persistent bruising, his swollen ankles, his undercover MRIs and his increasing propensity to fall asleep during meetings.
The White House told News themezone that Trump is “using a very common cream” and described it as “a preventative skin treatment” that will cause redness “for a few weeks.”
Which is descriptive, but deliberately avoids diagnosing the disease itself.
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So what’s really going on?
Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a dual-certified dermatologist, was willing to speculate.
“Based on the description and information provided by the White House, the most likely explanation is that the president is receiving treatment for actinic (sun-induced) damage to the skin, often referred to as actinic keratoses commonly described as ‘precancers,’” he said.
In fact, they are very common, he said, especially among people who have spent a lot of time in the sun and especially on the skin surfaces that receive the most UV rays.
It would be reasonable to assume that Trump, an avid golfer, might have sprouted some of the damaged cells in his neck.
Just because cells are described as “precancerous” does not mean they are actually cancerous.
“While they are not skin cancer, they are considered precancerous because over time a small percentage can progress to squamous cell carcinoma,” he said.
The fact that it is located on Trump’s neck probably also means that this is a specific treatment and not a systemic problem. And although Trump reportedly takes about 325 mg of aspirin a day, she said that’s unlikely to be the culprit.
Dr. Anthony Rossi, a treating dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, separately agreed.
Rossi ventured a guess that Trump is using one of two commonly prescribed topical chemotherapy drugs, such as “5 Flurouracil or topical immunomodulatory imiquimod.”
Both creams are typically used for two to four weeks and cause what Rossi described as a “red flake reaction” that lines up with what is visible on Trump’s cleavage.
“People with light skin, light hair, light eyes, and chronic exposure to UV rays or tanning are at greater risk for these actinic keratoses and precancers,” he said.
Both doctors emphasized that without directly examining the patient and/or confirmation from the White House itself, they can only offer informed clinical impressions.