Contact & assessment

If a sore on the lip is not healing, or something has just gone wrong

Do not wait for a routine appointment. A sore, ulcer or white patch on the lip that has not healed in a few weeks needs medical assessment rather than a cosmetic consultation. Severe pain, blanching or mottled skin during or after an injection, or a change in vision, is an emergency. A lip that is numb or not moving after an operation should be assessed by the treating team. Say what you are feeling when you call, so that the right clinic sees you.

Arranging an ordinary assessment

Where the complaint has been present and stable, appointments are made through the hospital outpatient line or through the appointment service described on the appointments page. Say when booking that the question is about the lips, and if you are travelling from outside Chongqing, say so, because the assessment and any planning can sometimes be arranged across fewer visits.

What to bring

Bring a list of your current medicines and allergies, the names of any conditions you are being treated for, any previous treatment to the lips including how long ago it was and what was used, and any history of cold sores. If you have photographs from years ago that show your mouth, bring them, because whether a lip has changed or was always the same is a useful distinction and it is often the first question.

What happens at the consultation

Expect an examination rather than a presentation. The lip is measured at rest and while it is moving, the height of the vermilion is compared side to side, the space between the base of the nose and the border is measured, and the muscle pattern is read. You should leave knowing which finding is responsible, what each route would change, what each would leave exactly as it is, and which guide answers your particular version of the problem.

Questions without booking

Questions about the content of this site, including any correction you believe should be made to it, are welcome through the hospital administration line. Clinical questions about your own lips are best answered in person, and we will say so rather than guess.