Category Archive

What is different about cleft rhinoplasty from noncleft rhinoplasty? So cleft rhinoplasty differs from most cosmetic rhinoplasties in that there’s much more asymmetry in the development of the cartilage and the development of the bone structure. There’s more extensive restructuring of the nose that needs to take place. There’s also all the effects of surgery that they’ve had. And so … Read More

Can you make the cleft side of the nose look like the other side? So with any patient with asymmetry, our goal is always to make the affected side look more like the unaffected side. Complete symmetry is rarely ever possible, but that’s always our goal, that’s what we’re shooting for. There are ways to make the height, the bulk, … Read More

Can my baby breastfeed or use a bottle after Cleft Palate Repair surgery? So for our palate repair patients, we typically try to get them on a sippy cup before surgery for at least a month, so they get used to feeding from that cup. And then that way, after surgery, they can go straight back to a cup that … Read More

Will we need to stay in the hospital after Cleft Palate Repair surgery? So after our cleft lip surgeries, most patients go home the same day, but then after the cleft palate surgery, I like to keep patients at least for one night. Most patients do go home after one night, once the baby is feeding well again, pain looks … Read More

Why not fix the palate at the same time as the lip? I normally like to repair the palate between nine and 12 months in a single stage. That seems to balance speech development, trying to repair the muscles in the palate before speech starts developing rapidly at about a year of age. At the same time, we want to … Read More

What are the risks associated with Cleft Palate Repair surgery? With any surgery, the risks are pain, bleeding and infection. Thankfully, bleeding and infection tend to be minimal with the surgery. We also have a lot of good methods for pain control. Specifically, with palate surgery, the main things we worry about are one, fistula, which means a connection between … Read More

How long will the Cleft Palate Repair surgery take? Cleft palate repair… the duration cleft palate repair depends a lot on the palate itself. With a bilateral cleft that extends all the way from the front to the back, that certainly will take longer than a cleft that’s just in the back of the soft palate. So a palate repair … Read More

Will the child be able to eat after Cleft Lip Repair surgery? So after a cleft lip repair, children can eat normally. So if they were breastfeeding or bottle feeding afterwards, they often can go right back to feeding. And then after surgery, most of our patients go home that same day. For more, visit https://lawplasticsurgery.com/cleft-lip-dallas/ or call us at … Read More

What technique do you use to repair a Cleft Lip? To repair a cleft lip, there have been a number of different techniques described. Each child is very unique in their cleft and in their own anatomy. So typically I perform a repair, which is a combination of Nordoff and Fisher, what they have developed, and then the other techniques … Read More

What is the recovery like after Cleft Lip Repair surgery? So for most children, we’re able to use some numbing medicine that lasts for several hours to get them through that first feed, and then we go around the clock with some nonopioid medications if we can. And then additionally, we have available some hydrocodone for additional pain control. But … Read More

What causes a Cleft Lip? A cleft lip normally isn’t due to anything that the parents did wrong or anything genetically wrong. It’s oftentimes just when the parts of the lip side-to-side are supposed to come together, don’t have a chance in that window, that key window during development. And so the two sides just don’t meet in the middle … Read More

Can my baby breastfeed or use a bottle after Cleft Palate Repair surgery? So after surgery for cleft lip patients, they can go straight back to bottle feeding and breastfeeding. A well-fed happy baby cries less, pulls less at the stitches and stays hydrated, feeds better and just heals better overall. For more, visit https://lawplasticsurgery.com/cleft-lip-dallas/ or call us at (214) … Read More