A free occipital hair-bearing flap for reconstruction of the upper lip

Abstract A free hair-bearing occipital scalp flap was employed for reconstruction of the upper lip in a young man who had sustained a close range shotgun blast to the face. The "moustache" free-flap provides an abundant source of hair-bearing scalp which has certain advantages over conventional techniques of repair. It is a one-stage operation, involves minimal donor site morbidity and uses hair-bearing scalp which is not usually affected by male-pattern baldness.