White Roll
The term for the ridge that forms at the border of an incision or laceration is the "white roll." This anatomical landmark is specifically located at the vermilion-cutaneous border (the junction between the lip's red portion and the surrounding skin) and is particularly important in surgical repair of lip lacerations 1.
Anatomical Significance
The white roll represents a critical aesthetic landmark that must be carefully preserved or reconstructed during wound repair:
It appears as a ridge at the vermilion-cutaneous border of the lower lip, serving as a natural demarcation line between the red lip tissue and the facial skin 1.
Proper alignment of the white roll is essential for achieving optimal cosmetic outcomes when repairing lip lacerations, as even minor misalignment can result in noticeable aesthetic deformity 1.
Setting the white roll during surgical repair may be particularly challenging, especially when restoring normal sublabial concavity in complex lip injuries 1.
Clinical Relevance in Wound Repair
When managing lacerations that involve the lip region:
Lesions that cross the vermilion-cutaneous border require special attention to the white roll during repair, with some surgeons advocating for staged procedures to improve scar camouflage 1.
Incisions may be strategically placed along the mucocutaneous junction (where the white roll is located) to optimize cosmetic outcomes 1.
Incomplete wound edge apposition increases the risk of suboptimal cosmetic appearance (OR 2.9), making precise alignment of structures like the white roll even more critical 2.