President Clinton had a benign cyst removed from his neck in a 12-minute procedure at the White House, spokesman Mike McCurry said.
The growth, known as an inclusion cyst, was located near Clinton's left ear at the jawline. It was removed by dermatologist David Corbett in the doctor's office Wednesday on the White House grounds, McCurry said."It had grown a little larger in size and certainly a little more bothersome to the president," he said.
The cyst - basically an ingrown pimple - was diagnosed during the president's physical examination in May. His physician, Dr. Connie Mariano, noticed during the Democratic National Convention that it had grown bigger and suggested that Clinton have it removed as soon as possible.
Wednesday was the first day they could fit the procedure into Clinton's schedule, Mariano said. "He was alert, awake and talking about golf," she said.
Corbett applied a local anesthesia, sliced the cyst across its top, drained it, closed the skin with two stitches and bandaged it. The stitches will be removed in about a week, McCurry said.