Healing of Mohs Surgery Wounds on the Vermilion and Cutaneous Lip With Bovine Collagen Dressings.

Abstract

Background: Surgical wounds confined to the vermilion lip and superficial orbicularis musculature can be allowed to heal by second intention with good aesthetic and functional results. Historically, defects extending onto the cutaneous lip or into the deeper orbicularis musculature have generally required more extensive repairs with local flaps to avoid cosmetic distortion or functional issues. We aim to demonstrate the utility of bovine collagen xenografts to augment second intention healing of surgical defects on the lip, including those defects extending into the cutaneous lip and musculature.

Type of study: Retrospective observational study with historical control.

Results: Twenty-nine patients with 31 tumors underwent Mohs surgery on the lip, with most wounds extending into the orbicularis oris musculature (65%) and onto the cutaneous lip (65%). The average defect size was 2.8 cm2 (range, 0.7-6.3 cm2). The average time to re-epithelialization was 29.7 days, with a rate of 10.2 days per cm2 of defect size, which was faster than historical controls of second-intention healing. Cosmetic outcomes were rated as acceptable to outstanding in 92% of cases.

Conclusion: For wounds on the vermilion lip, including those extending onto the cutaneous lip and into the orbicularis musculature, bovine collagen xenografts are an effective adjunct to second-intention healing with good cosmetic and functional outcomes. J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24(3):270-274. doi:10.36849/JDD.8570.