Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s is opening a new plastic surgery program for children with facial deformities.

The Cleft and Craniofacial Program, led by Dr. Victor Chien, addresses the needs of any pediatric patient with a congenital craniofacial difference, including cleft lip and cleft palate, ear and jaw deformities, skull bones that fuse prematurely and birthmarks.

“In the cleft lip and cleft palate cases, these can be picked up in a prenatal screening, as early as 18-22 weeks,” Chien said. “

Chien said both cleft lip and cleft palate negatively affect the ability of a baby to feed as well as speak normally. Fortunately, babies as young as three months can undergo cleft lip surgery because the lip is important for breast and bottle feeding. Cleft palate, which is a separation of the roof of the mouth, can affect a child’s ability to speak, so physicians aim to surgically treat the defect when the child is a little older and learning to speak.

The premature fusing of the skull bones, known as craniosynostosis, can restrict the growth of the brain, impact brain function and cause abnormally shaped heads. This too requires a surgical plan to free up abnormal fusion and growth restriction as well as change the child’s appearance. “Nobody plans on having a child with a craniofacial difference,” Chien said. “When a parent gets that diagnosis, it can be very stressful. Our goal at Guerin Children’s for the Cleft and Craniofacial Program is to be your lifelong partner. Many of these diagnoses require multiple operations and follow-up, and we are going to be with children and their parents every step of the way.”

For more information, visit cedars-sinai.org/blog/cleft-lip-cleft-palate-faq.html.