What is a cleft lip?

A cleft in the lip: Cleft lip is a congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. A cleft of a tissue/groove is usually seen on the upper front lip. Often doctors will look for other deformities like a cleft palate. Such a deformity is treated easily with a good medical team.

A lack of fused lip: A cleft lip occurs during embryonic development. The baby is born with this condition because the two sides of the embryo's mouth did not fuse during development.