Choosing the optimal donor area is very important to determine the optimal method of reconstruction of facial and cervical soft tissue defects. We have analyzed the most preferable donor areas for facial and cervical reconstruction. It was identified that submental area is the most significant from aesthetic and functional point of view. Clinical outcomes of a new surgical method involving reverse perforator submental flap for repair of total and subtotal upper lip defects in 4 patients aged 25—58 years are presented. The purpose of this report is to expand the indications for the use of submental flap. The feature of this method is perforator submental flap harvesting on reverse blood flow with minimal risk of postoperative complications. Surgical strategy for flap dissection was developed. We analyzed safety and efficiency of this method, as well as its clinical and prognostic effectiveness.

Keywords. submental flap, upper lip defect, perforator flap, angiosoma, reverse blood flow