Suspicious Lesion Under a Face Mask

A 63-year-old man presented to his family physician for a follow-up visit. He was wearing a mask, and at the end of the appointment, he asked the physician to assess a lesion on his lip. The lesion had progressively worsened over six months, during mandated use of masks. The lesion was painful with intermittent bleeding. The patient did not use chewing tobacco but was a daily smoker. He had a history of fever blisters and significant sun exposure as a child. He did not have weight loss, other skin lesions, or family history of skin conditions.