Cleft lip to cupids bow with Medical Tattooing
With the beginning of the term for schools, colleges, and universities, this time can be fraught with worry over one’s appearance.
We all long to be accepted, to be liked, and to find healthy relationships.
Regardless of one’s age, race, looks or personality we will all perceive experiences differently and through individual eyes.
Most of us like to change our hairstyles, wear our clothes in a certain fashion, present ourselves in a light we feel is best? So why do so many patients struggle with the fact that they want to work on their visible difference. They feel it may be a ‘cosmetic’ issue. they feel they may be judged as vain, or belittled for their feelings when it’s ‘only a small scar’
We are so fortunate in the UK that we have access to so many specialist treatments that can help with visible differences, that will make a huge difference to someone’s life, and help ease their journey into adulthood.
I had a young man contact me for cleft lip medical tattooing as he was due to start university. The result of cleft surgery is there is generally no Cupid’s bow present afterwards. This is the middle section where the upper lip meets at two distinct points, almost like the letter ‘M’. These points are usually directly in line with the philtrum, the grooved space between the nose and the mouth. It gives the lips a heart shape, but will be more pronounced in some people than others, and some don’t have one at all.
*before
A cleft is a gap or split in the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth (palate). It is present from birth. The gap is there because parts of the baby’s face did not join together properly during development in the womb. A cleft lip and palate is the most common facial birth defect in the UK, affecting around 1 in every 700 babies.*
Take a look * https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cleft-lip-and-palate/
From the initial conversation to the first treatment was a period of four months, and we then proceeded to have a total of five treatments over a period of seven months. I’m grateful he contacted me with enough time to prepare, to treat, to heal, and to fit in extra treatments if required.
Each treatment was one hour in length. Anaesethic was applied as the lips, especially with scarring can be very tender. The shape and symmetry was then created by drawing on the area. The drawing on process was important for each session, as this is the outline that the tattooing will follow. once tattooing was started, natural colours of pigment were implanted slowly and carefully. We did not want to achieve a very defined look, it had to look natural, this is a young man and it was imperative to work slowly and steadily. More sessions made for a more natural result as it could be monitored when healed, and then the colour could be deepened and strengthened if necessary.
*after
He turned up on time for treatments, followed the aftercare exactly, healed well, and now feels more confident to face the world. I’m extremely proud of this young man and how he managed the time it took to complete the procedures, and the time in between the treatments which can sometimes be hard when you feel you aren’t doing anything but waiting. What is actually happening is that your body is healing, the pigment is settling and it allows for a better final result. We achieved, together, the best result I could hope for.
Worth a read: Creating a Cupid’s Bow for a Cleft Lip with Medical Tattooing – Rae Denman
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