Lip reconstruction

Lip reconstruction may be required after trauma or surgical excision. The lips are considered the beginning of the oral cavity and are the most common site of oral cancer. Any reconstruction of the lips must include both functional and cosmetic considerations. The lips are necessary for speech, facial expression, and eating. Because of their prominent location on the face, even small abnormalities can be apparent.Large squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of lower lipResection of SCC intraoperativelyFollowup after primary closure of lower lip SCCLarge squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of lower lipSuture intraoperativelyFollowup 12 days after 1st surgeryFollowup 12 days after 1st surgeryImmediate post-procedure after Mohs surgery resection of lower lip squamous cell carcinomaElevation of depressor anguli oris muscle flapsPatient immediately after closure of total lower lip reconstruction Lip reconstruction may be required after trauma or surgical excision. The lips are considered the beginning of the oral cavity and are the most common site of oral cancer. Any reconstruction of the lips must include both functional and cosmetic considerations. The lips are necessary for speech, facial expression, and eating. Because of their prominent location on the face, even small abnormalities can be apparent. The upper and lower lips include the vermilion border. This is the juncture between the lighter skin and the redder tissue (vermilion) that we commonly call the lip. This tissue is red because the skin is thin and underlain by large numbers of capillaries. The vermilion is different both from the oral mucosa and from regular skin, as it includes a cornified stratum corneum and lacks salivary glands, unlike the oral mucosa, but is thinner and more vascularised than regular skin, and lacks both hair follicles and sweat glands.