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Cheiloplasty is surgery to repair, reconstruct, or reshape the lip. The term is commonly used for cleft lip repair but can also describe reconstruction after trauma, tumor removal, scarring, or other lip defects. In cleft lip surgery, the surgeon reconnects abnormal tissues and restores the continuity of the orbicularis oris muscle. The goals include better lip function, symmetry, facial growth, and appearance.
read more about cheiloplasty ...Primary cheiloplasty is performed to repair a congenital cleft of the upper lip. The procedure helps restore the muscular ring around the mouth and improve feeding-related lip seal, facial balance, and nasal-lip anatomy. Secondary cheiloplasty can revise a scar, asymmetry, muscle discontinuity, or residual deformity after an earlier repair. Reconstructive cheiloplasty is also used after injury or removal of diseased tissue.
The exact incision pattern depends on whether the cleft or defect is unilateral, bilateral, complete, incomplete, or secondary. In cleft repair, the surgeon separates abnormal muscle attachments, repositions the orbicularis oris, and closes the lip in carefully aligned layers. Nasal correction can be performed during the same operation when needed. Common cleft-lip techniques use rotation-advancement, triangular-flap, or related geometric principles tailored to the patient.
Swelling, bruising, lip tightness, and mild discomfort are expected during early healing. Feeding methods, wound cleaning, activity, and protection of the incision follow the surgical team's instructions. Sutures can dissolve or require removal depending on the technique and material. The scar changes for many months as swelling resolves and the tissue softens.
Possible complications include bleeding, infection, wound separation, noticeable scarring, asymmetry, lip shortening, or irregularity of the vermilion border. Cleft lip repair can also leave residual nasal asymmetry or muscle imbalance that later requires revision. Growth can reveal differences that were less noticeable in infancy. Rare complications include tissue loss, airway problems, or reactions related to anesthesia.
Cleft lip repair is one of the most common forms of cheiloplasty. The broader term also includes lip reconstruction or reshaping for other conditions.
In cleft lip surgery, restoring the orbicularis oris muscle is a major part of the repair. Reconstructing the muscle helps improve lip function and contour.
Yes. Any surgical incision produces a scar, but cleft-lip techniques place and shape the incision to improve contour as healing progresses.
Yes. Secondary revision can address scar problems, asymmetry, muscle imbalance, or changes that become more apparent with growth.
Cleft Lip Repair. StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564326/. Date Accessed August 12, 2026.
Cleft Lip & Cleft Palate Surgery: Repair Steps & Post-op Care. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/23394-cleft-lip-cleft-palate-surgery. Date Accessed August 12, 2026.
Cleft lip and palate repair. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002979.htm. Date Accessed August 12, 2026.
Current approaches to cleft lip revision. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31145137/. Date Accessed August 12, 2026.
Lip Reconstruction. PubMed Central (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11651870/. Date Accessed August 12, 2026.