Split lip

Anyone got any actual intel on this? Looking for some real-world experiences—good or bad. Personal stories or just stuff you've heard through the grapevine work too.🙂

Why do you ask? Back when I was pregnant, they were scanning me just to see if the baby would have a cleft palate based on bone structure. Thank God she didn't!

It’s a hereditary, degenerative condition. It runs in my family—my dad dealt with it as a kid, and my sister did too. They both had to go through dozens of surgeries just to make it through high school. I remember my sister's first surgery happened only months after she was born. Now that she's an adult, all you can see is a tiny scar. Since I'm studying veterinary medicine, I know this shows up in pigs, too. My guess? It's some kind of recessive gene.

My son was born with a cleft, so I was just wondering—he’s already had his surgery, but how does it actually turn out? Does the scar really stand out that much?

Ashley Ortiz78 said:It’s a hereditary, degenerative thing. Runs in my family. My dad had it as a kid, and my sister too. They both went through dozens of surgeries before they even hit high school. I remember my sister's first surgery was just months after she was born. Now that she's an adult, you can barely see the scar. I'm studying vet med, so I know this shows up in piglets too. Pretty sure it's some kind of recessive gene.

THANKS FOR THE REPLY, BEST,

Dad's got such a thick mustache you can barely see 😁.

You can see it on my sister, but honestly, it’s not a big deal—most people won't even notice😁😁. Then again, modern medicine, especially cosmetic stuff, has come a long way. I remember her trying those medical strips on the scar like her doctor suggested, but it didn't do much. Still, I think with how much medical tech has advanced lately, it shouldn't be an issue😍.

Hey there!

Is there anyone else in this group who was born with a cleft lip and/or palate? I’d love to hear what your experiences have been like.

I wanted to share a story about a close friend of mine who dealt with a really severe case of a cleft lip—it actually extended to her nose, too. :-(
She never talks about it, but I remember back in elementary school, before she finally had surgery (she's 27 now), she couldn't even look at herself in a mirror. She’d always stay in the dark and avoid turning on any lights... until her parents were finally able to pull together the money for her surgery in Switzerland. The cost was absolutely massive, but they made it happen for her...
Even now, you can still see it quite clearly; her upper lip is shaped differently and there's scarring around her nose, but at least her quality of life improved, even if those emotional scars are still there. :-(

I truly hope everyone dealing with this, or those who have loved ones with it, can get through it. The most important thing is just being there for them and trying to get surgery as soon as possible so their mental health doesn't take a hit. To me, that's way more important than any physical scar.