Care After Cleft Lip Surgery

Post-surgical care is crucial for children with cleft lip surgery to achieve a more perfect lip shape and minimal scarring. Post-surgical care is carried out in stages: 1. Before suture removal, the incision is cleaned and wiped daily by medical staff, aloe vera gel is applied, and then the incision is reduced, such as using 3M adhesive strips or making a lip arch to reduce the tension of the lip skin and promote soft tissue healing; 2. After removal of the skin sutures on the upper lip 5-7 days after the surgery, the care of the surgical incision is handed over to the parents. Parents should disinfect and clean the child’s upper lip skin incision every day and apply aloe vera gel or other scar inhibiting medications in the early days after returning home; 3. In about half a month after the surgery, lip massage can be considered to reduce scar proliferation. Massage is also divided into two stages, early is gently pressed, 1 month after the operation when the wound grows better, you can strengthen the massage, and to continue for six months, to minimize the scar proliferation; 4, parents can use silicone film to treat the scar after removing the stitches, so as to get the best aesthetic effect on the lips.