Scheduled for a Vermilionectomy for premalignant lip tissue

Try banana boat 45 or 50 uv protection lip stick.. You will be amazed.

Hi Colleen, thanks for that. Yes, please edit my post to change cm to mm. No, I wasn't advised to work with a speech pathologist. The advice I got was to try and eat and drink normally which isn't that easy and see you in 3 months.

Hi @maria61, I’m tagging @marshaj @mizlynnie who are a year or two out from having had a vermilionectomy and can share their experiences.

Maria, I can also edit your post to change cm to mm if you like 🙂

Recovery does take time and anything inside our mouth feels so much larger doesn’t it? Was it recommended to work with a speech pathologist during recovery to help with talking and eating?

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone else has had the Vermilionectomy recently as I would like to hear about their recovery. I had the procedure performed a month ago and am finding it to be a slow healing process mainly on the inside of my lip. I had the stitches out after 16 days and my lip looks quite good on the outside although it is numb to a degree. It's the inside that is most sensitive. I am still finding eating and talking to be difficult as I can't open my mouth fully and the inside area is sort of hard and swollen. I hear it can take up to 4 months to recover fully but there isn't much information about recovery so I would appreciate to hear of anyone else's recovery. Thanks,
M

Thanks for the input @maria61 and yes, mm is ten times less invasive and far less frightening. I’m glad it all worked out well for you. Your support for the next patient on a similar path is much appreciated. Welcome.

Correction: the biopsy was 6mm x 8mm NOT cm

Correction, the biopsy took 6mm by 8mm not cm.

Hi there. I am new to this forum and just thought I would share my recent experience of having a Vermilionectomy. I had a biopsy on my lower lip at the end of November 2024. I had a lip lesion that wouldn't heal. I was terrified of the procedure but honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got numbing gel on my lip before the injections (my dentist advised me to ask for it) A 6mm by 8mm [corrected] piece was removed. It took about 20 minutes and was pain free. The pain was minimal after as I kept up with pain relief of both Ibuprofen and Paracetamol every 4 hours. I ate pureed foods for about 5 days after, yes it was uncomfortable. 10 days later my results came back. Actinic Cheilitis with moderate to severe dysplasia. So, pre-cancerous. I was booked in for a Vermilionectomy January 13th 2025. This time I was more than terrified. I shouldn't have been as it again wasn't as bad as I had imagined. I had it done under general Anesthesia. Similar pain and pain relief as before plus some tramadol also for 2 days. I am now still recovering as the area is still healing but doing well, the inside of my lip is still swollen and there is numbness. I am 61, fair haired and freckled and was sunburnt a lot as a child. Hopefully this is helpful to someone who is anxious about this procedure.

I have been dealing with a place on my lower lip that was like chapped lips but would never clear up no matter what I tried. It never looked bad but at the same time it remained chapped constantly. I had an appt with my dermatologist who looked at it and couple of other spots that he said were just typical keratosis, but he was concerned about the lip, so he recommended they do a shave biopsy of the entire area and send it off. The injections before the biopsy were the worst! Much worse than any dental numbing I have ever experienced, but by the fourth injection my lip was starting to numb and I did not feel the last 4 injections thankfully. The actual biopsy was a cake wake as the area was totally numb. He told me to keep Vasoline (I used Minerin) on the wound. It healed over and was totally normal looking within about 10 days. I had NO discomfort other than the injections to numb the area.
The biopsy results unfortunately indicate a bowenoid actinic keratosis (early stage squamous cell carcinoma). This will result in a referral to UTSW here in Dallas as they are the experts on dealing with this as well as the reconstruction surgery. Not looking forward to this.

david

Hello Marshaj,
I just came across your post and it sounds so similar to my situation. I was a lifeguard here in Massachusetts for eight summers and I have fair skin. I am now in my early 70’s and have had so many basal cells and squamous cells removed from my body, usually using the MOHS technique. Like you,, I started noticing these patchy scales on my bottom lip about a month ago. (For years, my lips always feel chapped, so I didn’t think much of it.). About three weeks ago, I noticed these two or three lesions on my lip. I couldn’t get my dr so I was seen by an NP. She told me that she thought that they were squamous cells and to come back in a week and she would do a biopsy. In the meantime, I was very fortunate to get an appointment with the dermatology dept at Mass General Hospital for May 1st. My lip is so, so sore……a burning feeling…….and like you, I have been using. Vaseline and Aquaphor just to soothe the soreness. I would rather be seen by a doctor for this case in a Boston Hospital, where they have “seen it all”. I have read about that lower lip removal, followed up with cosmetic surgery, and I can’t even believe that this is happening to me. My biggest fear is that this lip cancer has not spread into any lymph nodes in my neck! Glad that you went on a trip and hoping that by now, things have resolved for you. Your case sounds exactly like mine. I hope that you made out well. MaryAnn in MA