Upper lip
Head and neck.
Latin	labium superius oris
Artery	superior labial
Vein	superior labial

The upper lip covers the anterior surface of the body of the maxilla.

Its upper half is of usual skin color and has a depression at its centre, directly under the nasal septum, called the philtrum, while its lower half is a markedly different, red-colored skin tone more similar to the colour of the inside of the mouth, and the term vermillion refers to the colored portion of either the upper or lower lip.

It is raised by the Levator labii superioris and is connected to the lower lip by the thin lining of the lip itself, which can be seen by opening your mouth wide in front of a mirror.

Thinning of the vermilion of the upper lip and flattening of the philtrum are two of the facial characteristics of Fetal alcohol syndrome, a life-long disability caused by the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.

[edit] See also

• Stiff upper lip
• Nasolabial fold

v • d • e Head and neck anatomy, digestive system: Mouth anatomy (TA A05.1-2, GA 11.1110-2, 1125-1141) Mouth Vestibule of mouth Lip (Upper, Lower, Vermillion border) · Philtrum Oral cavity proper Palate/ roof of mouth Hard palate · Soft palate · Palatine raphe · Incisive papilla Tongue dorsum (Taste bud, Median sulcus, Terminal sulcus, Foramen cecum, Lingual tonsils) · underside (Frenulum, Fimbriated fold, Sublingual caruncle) · Anterior · Posterior · Glossoepiglottic folds Other Teeth · Gingiva (Interdental papilla, Gingival sulcus, Gingival margin) · Oral mucosa · Buccal fat pad Salivary glands Parotid gland/Parotid duct · Submandibular gland/Submandibular duct · Sublingual gland/Major sublingual duct Oro-pharynx arches/fauces (Palatoglossal, Palatopharyngeal) · Oropharyngeal isthmus/Isthmus of the fauces · Palatine tonsil · Uvula mouth navs: anat/dev, noncongen/congen face/congen GI/neoplasia, symptoms, proc

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