A cleft lip is one of the most common facial anomalies treated by plastic surgeons. Cleft lip is distressing for parents, as they don’t want their child to feel self-conscious or to be the focus of ridicule.
A cleft lip is a gap in the upper lip. Why does it occur? During fetal development, nasal and lip elements do not come together properly. Cleft lips vary in their degree of severity.
Cleft lip has historically been referred to as "hare lip." This moniker came about because of the natural split that is present in the upper lip of rabbits/hares. The term hare lip is no longer used in the medical community as it is viewed as derogatory.
A cleft lip is different from a cleft palate. A cleft lip affects the upper lip, whereas a cleft palate is a gap in the roof of the mouth. Not all individuals with cleft lips have a cleft palate. And not all individuals with a cleft palate have a cleft lip. It is possible for an individual to have both a cleft lip and a cleft palate.
In this article, you will learn the names of the parts of a normal lip. Knowing what a normal lip looks like will help you better understand what parts of the lip are abnormal in a cleft lip. You will also learn about the different types of cleft lips – unilateral versus bilateral, complete versus incomplete. Unilateral means the lip has a cleft on one side. Bilateral means there is a cleft on both sides. Complete indicates that the cleft extends from the lip all the way into the nose. Incomplete involves the lip but spares the nose.
Next page: Normal Lip Anatomy
