Bilateral island vermilion flaps for vermilion border reconstruction

Reconstruction of a large defect of the vermilion border of the lip poses difficult problems. It may result in a vermilion border deformity or reduce the buccal cavity. In this article we describe reconstruction of the vermilion border of the lower lip using bilateral island vermilion flaps pedicled by labial arteries, a modification of Kapetansky's double-pendulum flaps. We found that our technique was a very reliable and versatile alternative to other local flaps.