Title: A Peculiar Way of Reconstruction for Surgical Defects of the Upper Lip: A Case Report
Abstract: Cutaneous neoformations of the upper lip, especially non melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), are very common. The upper lip is composed of multiple cosmetic subunits and it is divided into a philtral subunit and two lateral ones. For what concerns philtral subunit, Cupid’s bow can be particularly difficult to be recreated after a surgical excision. The vermillion border, that has the function to separate the inner surface of the lip (oral mucosa) from the surrounding skin, lies directly on a circumoral band of orbicularis oris. This is a circumferential muscle with a rich vascular supply that gives the lips their shape, definition and function. Any surgical wound of the lip can be repaired successfully in a variety of ways and the goal is always to maintain the integrity of the philtrum and the Cupid’s bow. We present the case of a 63 year-old woman with a pinkish nodule of the central portion of the upper lip, focusing on surgical reconstruction.