President Obama Gets 12 Stitches for Busted Lip

President Obama received 12 stitches to his lip after being elbowed during a basketball game over the Thanksgiving weekend. INSIDE EDITION has the details.

President Obama spoke out at a press conference about his swollen and busted lip, which he got during a weekend basketball game, saying, "For those of you who are worried about my lip, I should be okay."

The small cut was still visible when he made his first official public appearance at the White House since the Thanksgiving weekend mishap. He says a fat lip has not turned him off his favorite sport.

"I will continue to be playing basketball whenever I get a chance. In fact, I played yesterday with Sasha and Malia and they took it easy on me because they were feeling pity," he told reporters.

It took 12 stitches to patch the President up after he was accidentally elbowed in the face.

So why did it take so many stitches to fix such a small cut? New York plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Fiorillo says it's a technique to minimize scarring.

"The tinier sutures will lead to a much better scar. That's why they used 12. They probably used a lot of them, but they were very thin," explains Dr. Fiorillo.

And the guy who bopped the leader of the free world in the face is Rey Decerega, Director of Programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. He has released a statement saying the president is a "good sport".

Despite the stitches, the President says he received a clean bill of health.