Rare diseases · Sign or symptom

Thick lower lip vermilion

Increased volume of lower lip

HP:0000179

What it means

Increased thickness of the lower lip, leading to a prominent appearance of the lower lip. The height of the vermilion of the lower lip in the midline is more than 2 SD above the mean. Alternatively, an apparently increased height of the vermilion of the lower lip in the frontal view (subjective).

Normal values for the height of the vermilion are available [Farkas, 1981] but measurements are not commonly used. Most clinicians determine this feature subjectively. The lower lip is typically thicker than the upper one. The height of the vermilion of the lower lip varies among ethnic groups, and the vermilion should be compared to a population of same ethnic background. When the vermilion is thick, it is more convex and more everted than usual on profile view, but that should be assessed separately.

Rare diseases that can present with this49

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Full lower lip · Full lower lip vermilion · Increased height of lower lip vermilion · Increased volume of lower lip vermilion · Plump lower lip · Prominent lower lip · Prominent lower lip vermilion · Thick lower lip

Thick lower lip vermilion

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This page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.