Lagarde’s bandages due to a ‘little skin cancer,’ not ‘kick-boxing in Thailand’

FRANKFURT — Christine Lagarde’s announcement that she will leave the European Central Bank in February quickly drew attention to more than her departure date: the two bandages on her face visible in a video statement she posted. They prompted speculation on social media, which Lagarde addressed in a follow-up post . She said they were from a “small surgery” earlier in the week and urged people to follow medical advice and get their skin checked regularly. In a separate internal video message to all ECB staff, seen by POLITICO, Lagarde offered a little more humor and detail: “I know I look funny. This is not kick-boxing in Thailand,” she said after attending the International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Bangkok earlier this month.