Cleft lip repair by soft-tissue expansion

I report herein a newly devised method of cleft lip repair that involves the expansion of cheek skin by tissue expander and transferring the scar from the philtrum to the nasolabial fold, or reducing a broad scar to a finer and less conspicuous one without leaving tension. The method, having been applied in three patients with good results, is thereby recommended for patients with severe cleft lip deformity wherein a tight lip is present.