The vermilion border (sometimes spelled vermillion border), also called margin or zone, is the normally sharp demarcation between the

lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

and the adjacent normal

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

. It represents the change in the epidermis from highly

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, ho ...

ized external skin to less keratinized internal skin. It has no

sebaceous gland A sebaceous gland is a microscopic exocrine gland in the skin that opens into a hair follicle to secrete an oily or waxy matter, called sebum, which lubricates the hair and skin of mammals. In humans, sebaceous glands occur in the greatest nu ...

s, sweat glands, or facial hair. It has a prominence on the face, creating a focus for

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

(it is where

lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back t ...

is sometimes applied) and is also a location for several skin diseases. Its functional properties, however, remain unknown.

Structure

The lips are composed wholly of soft tissue. The skin of the face is thicker than the skin overlying the lips where blood vessels are closer to the surface. As a consequence, the margin of the lips shows a transition between the thicker and thinner skin, represented by the vermilion border. It therefore has the appearance of a sharp line between the coloured edge of the lip and adjoining skin. It has been described as a pale, white rolled border and also as being a red line. This fine line of pale skin accentuates the colour difference between the

vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...

and normal skin. Along the upper lip, two adjacent elevations of the vermilion border form the Cupid's bow.

Microanatomy

The vermilion border represents the change in the epidermis from highly

ized external skin to less keratinized internal skin. It has no

s, sweat glands, or facial hair. There are two reasons that the border appears red in some people: # The epithelium is thin and therefore the blood vessels are closer to the surface. # This epithelium contains

eleidin Eleidin is clear intracellular protein which is present in the stratum lucidum of the skin. Eleidin is a transformation product of the amino acid complex keratohyalin, the lifeless matter deposited in the form of minute granules within the protopla ...

which is transparent and the blood vessels are near the surface of the papillary layer, revealing the "red blood cell" color. At the angles of the mouth, there are sebaceous glands, without hair follicles, which are called

Fordyce spots Fordyce spots (also termed Fordyce granules)James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. . are visible sebaceous glands that are present in most individuals ...

Clinical significance

The ''vermilion border'' is important in dentistry and

oral pathology Oral and maxillofacial pathology refers to the diseases of the mouth ("oral cavity" or "stoma"), jaws ("maxillae" or "gnath") and related structures such as salivary glands, temporomandibular joints, facial muscles and perioral skin (the skin arou ...

as a marker to detect

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

, such as in actinic cheilitis.

Associated diseases

Perioral dermatitis Perioral dermatitis, also known as periorificial dermatitis, is a common type of skin rash. Symptoms include multiple small (1–2 mm) bumps and blisters sometimes with background redness and scale, localized to the skin around the mouth and ...

is a rash typically around the mouth, that spares the vermilion border. *

Cheilitis glandularis Cheilitis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the lips. The inflammation may include the perioral skin (the skin around the mouth), the vermilion border, or the labial mucosa. The skin and the vermilion border are more commo ...

may present with a burning sensation over the vermilion border. This chronic progressive condition is associated with thinning of the skin of the lips and ulceration. * Infections may involve the vermilion border.

Cold sores Herpes labialis, commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters, is a type of infection by the herpes simplex virus that affects primarily the lip. Symptoms typically include a burning pain followed by small blisters or sores. The first attack ...

are one common infection.

Impetigo Impetigo is a bacterial infection that involves the superficial skin. The most common presentation is yellowish crusts on the face, arms, or legs. Less commonly there may be large blisters which affect the groin or armpits. The lesions may be pa ...

is another. *

Skin cancer Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BCC) ...

can also occur at the vermilion border.

Cosmetic appearance

* Sunlight exposure can blur the junction between the vermilion border and the skin. Applying

lip balm Lip balm or lip salve is a wax-like substance applied topically to the lips to moisturize and relieve chapped or dry lips, angular cheilitis, stomatitis, or cold sores. Lip balm often contains beeswax or carnauba wax, camphor, cetyl alcohol, l ...

and sunscreen moisturizes protects it from sunlight.

Surgery

A vermilionectomy (sometimes spelled vermillionectomy) is the surgical removal of the vermilion border. It is sometimes performed to treat carcinoma of the lip. Close attention is given when repairing any injury to the vermilion border. Even 1 mm of vermilion misalignment could be noticeable.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermilion Border Lips Anatomy articles about microanatomy Dermatologic terminology Face Skin anatomy