International Craniofacial Institute

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Dallas, TX
International Craniofacial Institute

www.craniofacial.net Offering real hope to those with craniofacial differences, and offering a wide

At the International Craniofacial Institute, we specialize in treating:
Complex Craniofacial Conditions, Cleft Lip & Palate Repair, and General Pediatric Plastic Surgery

Full List of Services Offered

Craniofacial Conditions:

Craniosynostosis
Cleft Lip and Palate
Ear Anomalies / Microtia / Ear Wells
Encephalocoele
Eye and Orbit Anomalies
Jaw Anomalies
Nose Anomalies
Pierre Robin Sequence
P

lagiocephaly
Sleep Apnea
Tumors

Craniofacial Syndromes:
Apert
Carpenter
Crouzon
Down
Goldenhar
Hemifacial Microsomia
Muenke
Parry-Romberg
Pfeiffer
Saethre-Chotzen
Treacher Collins

General Pediatric Plastic Surgery:
Bumps, Burns, Dog bites, Lacerations, Lesions, Scars, etc. Other Treatments:
Adolescent Breast Reduction
Adolescent Gynecomastia Repair
Eyelid Deformities
Facial Trauma Reconstruction
Nasal Deformities or Trauma
Vascular Malformations

05/25/2026

One month after cleft lip repair, this girl is thriving.

Cleft lip repair is normally done between 3 and 6 months of age, though for the right patient, it is reasonable to discuss performing surgery at as early as 4 weeks of age.

Factors to consider include:
– prematurity, which increases the risk of apnea after surgery
– weight and feeding, to minimize risks of anesthesia and of postoperative problems
– width of the cleft, as additional nasoalveolar molding may be recommended before going ahead with surgery

Cleft lip surgery can safely be done as a same day surgery, though patients and families sometimes choose to be observed in the hospital overnight.

⁠
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

05/18/2026

This sweet girl is one month after her cleft lip repair.

Normally surgery is done between 3 and 6 months of age.

This is a good balance when weighing anesthesia safety, scarring, activity level, and time to heal before the palate surgery.

Afterwards, children may continue breastfeeding or bottlefeeding the same as before surgery.

Most of our cleft lip patients also go home the same day after their lip repair.

After cleft palate surgery, patients usually stay 1 or 2 nights until we are confident the child is feeding well.

She has done beautifully, with a scar that will soften and fade over time.

⁠
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

05/11/2026

This handsome patient was born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate.

He underwent repair of his lip at 3 months of age, and his palate repair at 9 months.

Repair of the orbicularis oris muscle early on helps to bring the central part of the palate and gums back in line with the rest of the gums over time.

He did also have some wider, thicker scars early on, and these improved gradually over time with massage and a steroid injection.

He is seen now, about to celebrate his 2 year birthday!

‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

05/04/2026

This lovely girl is seen at 6 months old after her bilateral cleft lip repair.

The first year for our families with cleft lip and palate are the busiest. This may involve NAM (nasoalveolar molding), cleft lip repair, and cleft palate repair.

The timing of these procedures take into account the normal milestones for growth and speech development, to give children the best chance to reach their potential. At the same time, we also aim to minimize the number of surgeries and exposures to anesthesia as we can.

Nothing makes us happier than seeing our patients thriving!

‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

04/27/2026

This beautiful girl is seen after repair of her bilateral cleft lip and palate.

The orbicularis oris muscle normally completes a ring around the mouth, allowing one to eat without food spilling out, and drinking through and straw.

In bilateral clefts, there is no muscle in the central portion, so the muscle must be brought all the way across from the sides.

This restores function, and helps to bring the premaxilla back in line with the lateral maxillary arches.

Elongation of the columella was also performed in the initial operation to reduce the flat and wide nasal appearance usually seen with bilateral cleft patients.

‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

04/20/2026

Our cleft cuties always bring a smile to our faces!

Repair of the orbicularis muscle of the lip guides the alveolus (or gum line) to realign and narrow the cleft, even in the absence of nasoalveolar molding (NAM).

Complete treatment of the muscle at the first operation is also key for preventing future problems.

Release of the muscle from the septum helps to reduce the deviation typically seen as patients get older, improving both breathing and appearance.

The lip scar and nasal symmetry will continue to improve over time, especially with optimal scar care and massage.

Thank you for trusting our team with the care of your loved ones!

‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

04/13/2026

This sweet girl is seen soon after her palate repair at 9 months of age.

Her primary lip and nose repair were performed earlier, for most patients usually at 3-6 months of age.

The cleft palate is then repaired usually in a single stage at 9-12 months, as babbling begins and speech development starts taking off.

This timing tries to balance scarring (which can restrict growth of the palate and midface), with optimizing speech development.

⁠
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

04/06/2026

This delightful girl is seen after repair of her unilteral cleft lip.

She has an infectious smile and magnetic spirit that brightens our day every time she visits!

⁠
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠

⁠ ⁠

03/30/2026

What a TREAT to see this guy thriving!

One way to reduce unwanted attention to a repaired cleft lip is a smooth and well-aligned white roll.

The “white roll” is the lighter highlight along the border from the skin (cutaneous part) of the lip down to the red part of the lip (i.e., vermilion).

I do think the Z-plasty just above the Cupid’s bow helps with the natural contour of the lip — a little more snug transversely, with a concavity above the white roll. Then a transition back outwards with a convexity at the white roll, continuing around the vermilion and into the mucosa on the inside of the lip.

Sometimes following up on patients undergoing a different technique, I do see some flattening of this natural S-shape when looking from the side. In part, I think it’s because the straight scar across it can lead to scar shortening (which is an inevitable and normal part of scar healing).
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠.
⁠ ⁠

03/23/2026

4 years and growing for this sweet boy after his cleft lip repair!

My first suture on the lip is always the muscle repair at Cupid’s Bow, at that border between the skin on the lip, and the dry vermilion.

This landmark is key for the 3D contour of the lip, with the white roll that highlights the shape of the upper lip.

If this highlight is smooth and continuous, less unwanted attention is paid to the lip, with hopefully less self-consciousness about it in the future.
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠.
⁠ ⁠

03/16/2026

This boy is seen after repair of his unilateral cleft lip.

Extreme care is taken to align the vermilion (or red) margin of the lip, as even a stepoff of 1mm is noticeable in conversation.

Nasal repair varies depending on how the nose is affected, but normally some amount of nasal repair is performed at the first lip repair to improve long-term breathing and symmetry.
‭💻 craniofacial.net⁠⠀⁠
📱
☎️ (214) 241-1997⁠
📍 Dallas, TX ⁠
📍 Plano, TX⁠
⁠🏥 Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon⁠
🎓 Craniofacial Fellowship Trained⁠
⁠.
⁠ ⁠

Address

7777 Forest Lane, Building C, Suite 528
Dallas, TX
75230

Website

http://www.craniofacial.net/

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