Results of my recent lip & nose revision

[Anonymous]

Hi All, I wanted to write about my most recent lip and nose
revision. I am 32 and have had many surgeries to correct and
revise the cleft area. When I was a baby and a child, each step
was done as a separate operation. Youngsters are fortunate that
they have available the advances in techniques and medicine as
they do today.



Anyway, the brilliant surgeon who did the surgery and my
prior entire nose revision (3 years ago) met with me several
times to discuss the details of this surgery. In his opinion, I
am close to being finished. With his talented eyes, he found ways
he could bring my features into even better symmetry and
proportion. And although he said that this surgery was only a
minor one in comparision to the others, I must say that it has
yielded exellent and even dramatic results. Granted, the surgery
was less than a week ago, but I am experienced enough to know
what to look for through the swelling and stitches. The shape of
my lip is better than I could ever imagine! My two scars had been
over 1/2" apart (and more) for my entire life; even with the
swelling, the scars are about 1/4" apart. The right side of
my lip was raised to match the left side better. The base of the
columella where it met the top of my lip had been very
sharp-almost a 90 degree angle; the surgeon pulled the top part
of my lip a little further out onto the columella and even
narrowed the columella base. A side note-the day of and one day
later, the lip and nose felt sore like how it does when you have
a cold. The other days, it has a very mild 'throb', though not
painful, when I'm tired or running around a lot.



The surgeon who performed my first 20+ operations did the
foundation work, but he was not an artist the way my current
surgeon is.



Throughout my life my feelings about being born with this
have run the gamut: from feeling totally sad for myself, to truly
hating myself, to regarding myself kindly, to actually accepting
and liking myself. Through many wonderful relationships I have
with friends, I realize that the physical aspect of a person does
not have a direct connection with his/her self-esteem. I know
that external circumstances (teasing, harassing, etc.) can be
very damaging. People can be very cruel in what should be a world
where people are judged for character and personality.



In any case, happy to report that my physical appearance now
matches the happiness that is also within. Good luck to everyone
who chooses to have additional surgeries, or not.

[Rcherrero@aol.com]

Hi



I am a 34 y/o man and I am going to have a surgery to help to
correct my scras and nose from my cleft lip surgery that I had
when I was born. I am very scared. I am afraid that it won't look
the way I expect or it might look worse. Please I need some help
and also some a good dr names. I don't know how many surgery I
need to have the scar and the nose totaly fixed. Please can you
give me more info. about this. I would thank you very much. My
surgery will be on march 9, 1999.



Robert

[amgula]

Hi Robert,



I may be able to answer any of your questions about various
types of surgeries, because I have had quite a few and of all
different types, from 'reconstructive' to 'touch-ups'.



I will write to your personal e-mail and include my surgeon's
name and phone number. I can also provide pictures of my before
and after results if you wish.



After the numerous surgeries I have had, I can see an
overall, cumulative change in the way I look. Each surgery is a
step in the process and each step, whether small or large, is
necessary. Though my features are now almost perfectly
"symmetrical", and look great, I can still tell that I
was born with this. Realistically, there is no way for me to look
like someone who never had a cleft lip and palate, but I look
better than I ever had before. The surgeon(s) had to reconstruct
parts that were not there originally. They were (and are) very
creative and talented to have corrected my condition in the way
that they have. I cannot gripe about the corrective process, only
that when I started, each step of the way was a separate
surgery-which prolonged the entire process. I wish I looked this
good when I went to college. But I look this good now, and now is
what matters most.



I hope this helps some. Good luck in your decisions about
surgery and the surgery itself.



AM Gula