Redrawing Cupid's Bow Gives Good Results.

ASPEN, COLO. -- For patients with small defects of the upper lip, redrawing Cupid's bow is an option that produces good cosmetic results, Dr. Uma Paniker said at a surgery seminar sponsored by the Colorado Dermatology Center.

Cupid's bow reconstruction is particularly challenging because it has subtle nuances of color, texture, and individual variability that the dermatologic surgeon must take into account, Dr. Paniker said. Reconstruction must be tailored to an individual's baseline Cupid's bow. She offered the following tips for the best results:

* Use convexity superiorly, concavity inferiorly.

* Excise the resulting dog-ears bilaterally; undermine bilaterally on the cutaneous side as far as the vermilion.

* For the best cosmetic results, outline both philtral crests and excise bilaterally, Dr. Paniker said.

* The superior point of the defect should be just over the tubercle of the reconstructed lip, especially when dealing with midline defects. This helps to orient your perspective.

* When drawing, don't be afraid to exaggerate the center of the bow. "Really plunge down when drawing the inferior concavity, and make a V where the center of the tubercle should be," Dr. Paniker said. This can help avoid the delayed blunting that sometimes occurs as the wound heals.