1. Box 50.9 Disadvantages of the platysma flap Blood supply can be unreliable. There may have been previous surgery which has violated the neck and therefore precludes its use. When based on the submental branch of the facial artery, this requires preservation of muscularity in an area of oncological significance which may have to be addressed in the resection. By and large, the neck should be avoided as a source of reconstruction for the oral cavity. Removal of the platysma interferes with the blood supply to the overlying skin, which can have disastrous results. flaps 7. Brent B, Byrd HS. Secondary ear reconstruction with cartilage grafts covered by axial, random, and free flaps of temporoparietal fascia. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 1983; 72: 141–52. 8. Bakamjian V, Littlewood M. Cervical skin flaps for intraoral and pharyngeal repair following cancer surgery. British Journal of Plastic Surgery 1964; 17: 191–210.