[b][Salt Lake City, March 11 2016][/b] - The Craniofacial Foundation of Utah, the medical foundation focused on craniofacial abnormalities, promotes research and training to improve methods of correction of clefts of the lip and palate. The foundation seeks to increase awareness of the condition to the community.

[b]Increasing Awareness and Acceptance[/b]

The foundation is dedicated to providing education and support to families affected by craniofacial abnormalities. They give information to schools and communities to optimize the quality of life for those affected by cleft lip/palate.

Cleft lip and/or cleft palate is the most common condition affecting faces of newborn babies. This occurs in 1 to 500 births, and depends mainly on the parent’s descent. In 50% of the cases, it is common for the patient to have both cleft lip and cleft palate.

The condition results from a disturbance in lip growth during the first months of development. With ultrasound, more cases are diagnosed before the baby is born, which is good for the infant’s family. This gives them time to gather information, understand the condition better, and prepare for treatment.

[b]Repairing the Condition[/b]

It is common for surgeons to recommend taping the lip, to narrow the width of the cleft before closing by surgery. Ideally, the patient should be 10 weeks old and weighs at least 10 pounds. This ensures safety in administering anesthesia.

The foundation only uses dissolvable stitches and tissue glue with their patients. Compared to regular stitches, dissolvable stitches eliminates the need for additional procedures for suture removal.

[b]About The Craniofacial Foundation of Utah[/b]

The Craniofacial Foundation of Utah provides information on head deformities and cleft lip/palate. The medical foundation is led by Louis Morales Jr., M.D., Rodney Schemelzer, M.D. and Tosha Walker. Their mission is to promote research and training to improve methods of prevention and correction of craniofacial abnormalities.

To know more about the foundation, visit their website http://cranioutah.com.