Kesselring’s Lip Surgery ( Direct lip Lift)

Kesselring’s Lip Surgery

What Is Kesselring’s Lip Surgery?

Kesselring’s operation is a classic reconstructive technique in plastic surgery, often used for the lips and perioral region. It was developed to correct defects, asymmetries, or deformities of the lip by mobilizing and repositioning local tissues, allowing both functional recovery and natural appearance.

When Is It Indicated?

This procedure is most often performed for:

Lip defects after tumor excision
Congenital malformations such as cleft lip
Post-traumatic deformities of the lips
Functional impairment (difficulty closing the mouth, speaking, or eating)
Aesthetic asymmetry of the upper or lower lip

How the Surgery Works

In Kesselring’s technique, the surgeon carefully designs local advancement flaps from the surrounding lip tissue. These flaps are rotated or advanced to fill the defect while preserving the natural anatomy of the vermilion border, lip contour, and oral commissure.

The goals are:

To restore lip continuity and symmetry
To maintain oral competence (ability to close lips)
To achieve a natural, balanced aesthetic result

Advantages for Patients

Restores natural lip function (speech, eating, facial expressions)
Improves appearance by correcting asymmetry or defects
Uses the patient’s own tissue (no need for synthetic implants)
Permanent solution with stable long-term results

Modern Applications

Although developed decades ago, Kesselring’s lip surgery remains a valuable procedure today. Modern refinements and combination with microsurgical or aesthetic techniques allow surgeons to achieve both functional rehabilitation and aesthetic harmony, especially in challenging cases of lip reconstruction.

Contents

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