A chance to smile for kids with cleft deformities

MANILA, Philippines - Kids have every right to live a happy life. Their smiles are proof that they are living a happy childhood but some children are burdened by cleft palates.

How many chances can a child with a facial deformity such as a cleft lip or palate have to smile?

They are limited. Limited by a deformity they neither chose to be born with nor to live with. It is their burden to bear from the time they are born to the day they die if left without intervention. Lucky for Filipino children and young adults alike, the odds are in their favor.

They are given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change their lives for the better. A partnership has been formed and it is an ideal partnership for healing scars of missed chances and unfortunate situations.

Dermatix Ultra is now working with Operation Smile, the world’s advocate for healing facial deformities and the scars they leave behind.

Dermatix Ultra is a trusted brand in scar management. It is specifically formulated with the innovative CPX (cyclopentasiloxane) technology for flattening and softening of scars, and vitamin C for photoprotection and skin lightening.

The partnership will give children facial reconstructive surgery to have their cleft palates and lips repaired. Children with cleft deformities can go through surgery as early as 10 weeks after birth and must weigh at least 10 pounds.

If a child has both cleft palate and lip, two surgeries may be required. The surgery will not only repair a person’s face, it will also repair the muscles that the child may need to do basic facial functions such as lip pursing.

The operation is done by doing full incisions along the cleft and lining up the scars along natural lines of the upper lip, usually along the edges of the philtrum or the gap of skin under the nose and above the lip. The surgeon will as much as possible create supple more natural-looking upper lips.

Cleft palates are a little bit more complicated because more muscles are involved in the surgery. It is usually done between six and 12 months. The gap is temporarily covered by a prosthetic device to fit the roof of the mouth called palatal obturator.

Later, bone tissue from the patient’s chin, rib or hip will be used to fill the gap. Most of all, the surgery should be able to pave the way for normal speech for the child.

Generally, reconstructive surgery for cleft palates and lips is safe, but because all surgeries by nature are invasive, a child may run the risk of infection, which can be addressed by prescribed antibiotics before and after surgery, and improper healing, which can only be remedied by realignment through another round of surgery.

Post-surgery, the children must be given help in readjusting into society. They can be helped by medical practitioners, social workers and psychologists, and speech and language pathologist. Support groups are also around to help the child recover from the previous social and physical impact.

Scarring is an inevitable result of a cleft surgery, or any surgery for that matter. Scarring is a way for the body to deal with pain. It’s a way for it to heal. Dermatix Ultra provides the avenue to make that pain go away faster without the horrible repercussions.

By working hand-in-hand with Operation Smile in supporting free surgeries, Dermatix Ultra help erase the scars of children who were not blessed the chance to completely smile.

Founded in 1982 in the Philippines, Operation Smile is a worldwide operation that joins a world of generous hearts is transforming lives by giving children born with facial deformities free surgery. Members include medical professionals and volunteers who provide safe and effective reconstructive surgery.

In the Philippines, one child with a facial deformity is born for every 500 babies every year. Operation Smile has served 24,000 children and young adults with facial deformities.

To learn more about Operation Smile Philippines and opportunities to help, visit http://www.operationsmile.org.ph.