FOREIGN-BODY REACTION IN THE UPPER LIP: CASE REPORT

Abstract

Foreign-body reaction is an inflammatory process caused by the presence of immunologically inert exogenous materials in the organism. A 47-year-old female patient, who was hairdresser, presented with an exophytic lesion in the upper lip, whose coloration was similar to that of the mucosa, which evolved over the course of 20 years. The patient reported no history of systemic diseases, submission to aesthetic procedures, or history of facial trauma. Thus, the clinical diagnosis was fibrous hyperplasia. After excisional biopsy, the histopathologic analysis revealed the presence of vacuoles and cells with clear cytoplasm compatible with macrophages in connective tissue. The immunohistochemical reaction for CD68 demonstrated strong diffuse immunoexpression in a large number of cells, confirming the presence of macrophages. The final diagnosis was foreign body type reaction. The patient is still under follow-up, and after 6 months there were no signs of recurrence. Foreign-body reaction is an inflammatory process caused by the presence of immunologically inert exogenous materials in the organism. A 47-year-old female patient, who was hairdresser, presented with an exophytic lesion in the upper lip, whose coloration was similar to that of the mucosa, which evolved over the course of 20 years. The patient reported no history of systemic diseases, submission to aesthetic procedures, or history of facial trauma. Thus, the clinical diagnosis was fibrous hyperplasia. After excisional biopsy, the histopathologic analysis revealed the presence of vacuoles and cells with clear cytoplasm compatible with macrophages in connective tissue. The immunohistochemical reaction for CD68 demonstrated strong diffuse immunoexpression in a large number of cells, confirming the presence of macrophages. The final diagnosis was foreign body type reaction. The patient is still under follow-up, and after 6 months there were no signs of recurrence.