Cleft lip is a congenital deformity caused by a failure in facial development during pregnancy. It can be treated with surgery shortly after birth with highly successful results. Cleft lip occurs in somewhere between one in 600 and one in 800 births.

It is colloquially called hare-lip (because a hare's lip is similarly cleft), or even hair lip (misspelling of the previous).

Cleft lip is closely related to the condition of cleft palate, and the two often occur together.

Biology

The cause of cleft lip and cleft palate formation is genetic in nature. A specific gene that three-fold increases occurance of these deformities have been identified in 2004 as reported by the BBC [1].

Controversy

In some countries cleft lip or palate deformity are either tolerated or officially sanctioned reasons to perform abortion beyond the legal fetal age limit, even though the foetus is not in jeopardy of life or limb. Some human rights activists contend this practice of "cosmetic murder" amounts to nazi eugenics. A London priestess, who is a palate correctee herself, has started legal action to stop the practice in England as reported by CNN [2] and the BBC [3]

See also

• Van der Woude syndrome

External links

• CleftClub.com - Cleft lip and palate support groups and information center
• http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/procedures/CleftLipPalate.cfm
• http://www.cleftline.org
• http://www.smilechina.com
• http://www.smiletrain.org