About lip reconstruction - dog bite injuries

Kissing a dog can be very dangerous. Injury prevention and reconstruction by Dr. Michael Bermant, MD plastic & cosmetic surgery.

Michael Bermant, MD Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

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dog bite lip reconstruction

See just how terrible dog bite injuries can be and how reconstruction can restore the deformity. Warning some of these injuries are graphic.

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Kissing a dog can be very dangerous. Each of these wounds was from a dog bite. See information on preventing dog bite injuries elsewhere on this website.
This 70 year old patient had a loss of the vermilion margin (juncture between the red and white parts of the lip). The central part of the lip (cupid's bow) was also destroyed. This very difficult reconstruction was done with a series of flaps (moving tissue that still has a blood supply) from one part of the lip to another. The inner lining mucosa was advanced from inside the lip to reform a new vermilion margin after restoring the cupid's bow.
Lip reconstruction after dog bite
The wound The flap in place

Lip reconstruction 7 months after plastic surgery
At rest Lips closed Kiss
Lip reconstruction should look good both statically and dynamically (it has to look standing still and move well enough to function). The muscle under the lip should be repaired carefully for this to happen.
A young patient with another dog bite. This devastating wound / injury was of the lower lip and the vermilion margin is again missing. Cutting out a wedge of tissue would have left the lip asymmetrical and uneven. Flaps of skin and mucosa were advanced together over a reconstruction of the muscle. A graft (moving tissue from another site) can be a problem to match defects crossing the vermillion margin of the lip.
Lip reconstruction after dog bite
The wound The flap in place

Lip reconstruction 4 months after plastic surgery
Smile Lips at rest Kiss
This injury also is of the vermilion margin and extends into cupid's bow. Muscle, skin, and mucosa hang on a thin margin of tissue, enough to support the skin and vermilion. The hanging muscle was too destroyed and was removed (debrided). To restore animation the remaining muscle (obicularis oris) was loosened under the uninjured lip and advanced together. The hanging mucosa and skin included the difficult to reconstruct vermilion margin. Saving this anatomic detail contributed to the nice result of this plastic surgery.
Lip reconstruction for dog bite
The defect The reconstruction After surgery
More Bite Injury Pages
Dogbite Prevention
Dog bites of Lip and Reconstruction Photographs (graphic)
Dog bite Injury Face Repair / Reconstruction Photos (graphic)
Camel Bite Reconstruction
Find books about dog bite prevention from Barnes and Noble
Bite Injuries Reconstructive Surgery bulletin boards
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