We would like to start the New Year by introducing you to two very special ladies, firstly, Leanne Griffiths. Leanne reached out to the SE1 clinic team after researching plastic surgeons who perform lip filler procedures on patients who have previously had cleft lip surgery. Her research led her to our second very special lady and SE1 clinic plastic surgeon, Nefer Fallico.
Leanne Griffiths
Leanne was born with a bilateral cleft lip (both sides of the lip). Luckily, her palate developed with no holes in it so her speech was not affected by this. She had her first surgery to repair the lip at around 5 months old. At age 12, Leanne had Alveolar Bone Graft Surgery, this is where the bone in the gum, where the teeth sit is missing, therefore the surgeon removes a piece of bone from the patient's hip and fills in the gap. This results in the adult teeth being able to develop as they should. Despite this incredible surgery, her top lip was then left thinner than her bottom lip, as seen in the before and after pictures. To correct this she decided to research lip filler treatment. Important to her was of course that the surgeon performing the procedure fully understood her prior surgeries and the complexity of her tissue due to scarring.
Leanne says, 'the reason I wanted to have fillers in my lips is because I have always been self conscious of this area. I have never liked the way I looked and having a cleft has held me back a lot in my adult life. But having fillers in my lip has already given me so much more confidence and now I can look into a mirror and I am happy with what I see.'
Nefer Fallico MD Specialist in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery
When Leanne reached out to us at our SE1 clinic requesting private treatment, we advised her that she might be able to have this treatment with no charge as certain NHS trusts offer this procedure as part of their ongoing services to cleft lip patients. Luckily for her she fell in the catchment area for Nefer's NHS practice in Salisbury. Instead of attending the SE1 clinic, she saw Nefer in the NHS and as you can see from her wonderful before and after pictures, the treatment outcome was outstanding. We are very proud of both of these amazing ladies, Nefer for her incredible skills treating cleft lip and palate patients and Leanne for allowing us to share her inspiring story!
Leanne's immediate results from lip filler treatment with Nefer Fallico
As a cosmetic clinic we vow to do the right thing. This means treating patients when and where appropriate putting a honest and open approach with a thorough assessment of their cosmetic concerns and goals, skin type, physical and mental health at the forefront of all our decisions. We are NHS surgeons and our integrity is paramount. There is increasing concern around cosmetic procedures and the lack of regulation for non-medics offering these services and rightly so. Importantly, the spotlight is also growing on patient selection. At SE1 we have put in place strict patient and treatment selection criteria that are based on patient age, mental and physical health and avoidance of 'trends' or 'body modification'. We perform natural, discreet enhancements only.
Leanne's results a few weeks later when swelling had resided
We are honoured to have helped Leanne in her journey and also to have had the opportunity to showcase the incredible work of Nefer Fallico both in the NHS and at our SE1 clinic.
To find out more about our SE1 surgeons, procedures and beautiful clinic click here!