Surgical Management of Primary Carcinomas of the Lower Lip

Carcinomas of lower lips are common neoplasms of the muco-cutaneous junction. Surgical resection of these tumors has the advantages of permitting histologic examination of the margins, achieving excellent cure rates, and yielding good aesthetic and functional results. We present the fundamental surgical procedures for management of pre-cancerous and primary cancerous neoplasms of the lower lip with which the surgical dermatologist should be familiar. These procedures may be done with local anesthesia in an outpatient surgical office. The techniques and case examples we describe include vermilionectomy and mucosal advancement, V-wedge resection, pentagonal wedge resection, and vermilionectomy combined with wedge resection.