Cleft Lip is Congenital Deformities i,e, Children are born with these deformities for reasons not yet fully known. Proper Speech and Proper Feeding / eating are the immediate casualties. However Plastic Surgery offers options to correct these deformities.

Let us first understand the two terms clearly:

By nature our Upper lips are joined in fact the left and the right upper lift jointly form the upper lips. A condition where the left and the right lift are not fused by birth is a situation referred to as Cleft Lip.

Normally children born either without fused palette or without fused lips are benefited from this treatment.

For Newborns :

1. If born with Cleft Lip surgery is possible at the age of 3 months onwards, not before that.
   
2. If born with Cleft Palate surgery is possible at the age of 9 months onwards, not before that.

Who Can Operate:
A good Plastic Surgeon - M.Ch. - Plastic Surgery and widely experienced with such surgeries.

Treatment:

• The job of the plastic surgeon is to join the disjoint Lips / Palates so that there is any difference in the appearance between a normal child and a child born with the deformities.
  
• Normal procedure involves incision on both the affected sides and joining them.
• The resulting scar will remain prominent initially but then fade to a great extent later on. This scar can be further treated using other types of treatments for fading it further.
• There could be several other issues related to this which can not be generalized and have to be dealt on a case to case basis.

Period Of Treatment:
Dependent on the condition. Expect a short duration operating procedure – nothing too major. May be 3 nights of hospitalization.

Post operative Treatment:
This has to be dealt on case to case basis.