Overview
- Photographs from the March 2 White House Medal of Honor ceremony showed a red, scabbed patch behind the president’s right ear.
- Dr. Sean Barbabella said the mark is from a very common topical used as a preventive skin treatment, applied for about a week with redness expected to last for a few weeks.
- Officials have not identified the specific medication or explained the underlying skin issue.
- The episode follows earlier disclosures of chronic venous insufficiency and recurring hand bruising that the White House and the president have linked in part to daily aspirin use.
- Online commentary speculated about causes, while the White House medical team continues to describe the 79-year-old president as in overall good health.