Histological changes of upper lip from its cutaneous to mucosa region among males

Abstract

Introduction: Morphometry of lip lining help in deciding the best site for choosing graft for its better uptake during several dermal grafting procedures following trauma or tumor excision following craniofacial cancers or cosmetic procedures. Materials and Methods: Ten human male cadavers were procured in Department of Anatomy the rectangle shaped skin specimen through upper lip which included skin, mucocutaneous junction and mucosa were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin stain. Total of 30 slides were prepared. Results: Thickness of skin (epidermis +dermis) of lip ranged from 664.72 μm to 882.34 μm among males. Epidermal thickness increases on moving from cutaneous region to mucosa region of lip. Lowest contribution of stratum corneum in thickness of epidermis was observed in vermillion region while highest contribution was observed in skin region. It was found to be absent in mucosa region of lip. Rete pegs at dermoepidermal junction was found to be maximum in vermillion region and minimum in skin region .It's depth increased as we move from skin to mucosa region of lip. In cutaneous part of lip, rete pegs were shorter and blunt. In vermillion region, they were narrow, long and slender while they were longest with blunt end in mucosa region. Depth of dermis was found to be maximum in skin region while minimum in vermillion region. It ranged between 578 μm -825.10 μm. Conclusion: Care should be taken while using dermal fillers in lip augmentation surgeries especially in vermillion region due to its close proximity to musculature in core of lip.