Is It Possible to Reconstruct a Lip That Has Been Damaged from Lip Biting?

Question

I used to have a lip biting habit on my upper lip right in the center, it wouldn't bleed or anything but over time I decided to stop the habit. I realized that the skin became raw and worn and many wrinkles developed. Over the course of a few months, new skin began to grow but would continously fall off, and it only grew back in certain areas. It has been cycling and never improving. Since the middle area lacks new skin, I don't know what kind of surgery is available. What are the options?

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

Yes, this probably can be repaired but I would need to see it to determine if simple excision would fix this, or would some other surgery be needed.

Michael Bowman, MD · Answer

It is certainly possible to remove and reconstruct a damaged portion of the lip.  Depending on the size of the problem, lip deformities can usually be corrected in a very cosmetic fashion so that residual signs of the reconstruction are minimal.

	Any lesion that is present on the lip and enlarging could be a skin cancer, which needs to be investigated as soon as possible.  Have this one checked out soon!

	The exact technique for repair will depend on the exact location of the lesion and whether or not cancer is present.   Most likely the repair would involve excision of the area in question and then using multiple layers of suture to bring the edges of the lip back together.  If the area is quite large, the tissues of lip (local flaps)  can be mobilized to fill in larger size defects.

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD · Answer

It is impossible to give you advice with a consultation and examination. Depending on your age and the length of time your are talking about, it might be a cosmetic concern or in certain situations, constant, repeated trauma can increase the risk of skin cancer. Please have this checked out by your doctor.

	Robin T.W. Yuan, M.D.

Samir Shureih, MD · Answer

An examination is manditory for proper diagosis and treatment.

	consult a BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON (AMERICAN BOARD OF PLASTIC SURGERY)

	An excision and biobsy is needed first then depending on the size the lip can be properly repaired

Richard Galitz, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

Dermal grafts or as needed dermal-fat grafts would be the best approach to fix lip deformity.

Is It Possible to Reconstruct a Lip That Has Been Damaged from Lip Biting?

Answers (5)