Ralph Millard

David Ralph Millard, Jr. (born june 4, 1919) is a plastic surgeon whom developed several techniques used in repairing cleft lip and palate.

In 2000, Dr. Millard was nominated as one of only 10 "Plastic Surgeons of the Millennium" by the members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In the April 2000 issue of Plastic Surgery News, Dr. Millard is described as "the most brilliant and creative plastic surgeon we have alive. His work and publications speak for themselves."

Personal life
Millard was born at Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri. He studied medicine at Harvard Medical School in 1944 and interned in pediatric surgery at Boston Children's Hospital.

The Millard repair procedure
The rotation-advancement procedure for cleft lip repair, also known as the Millard Repair, is designed to create a softer, more natural-looking lip. Surgery performed prior to the Millard procedure involved pulling both sides of the cleft lip together resulting in a stiff, but closed, upper lip. The Millard Procedure rotates the tissue and creates a "Z" shaped scar instead. The "Z" shape gives the tissue more elasticity, resulting in greater flexibility and restoration of the Cupid's bow.

Selected publications

 * Gillies HD, Millard DR. The Principles and Art of Plastic Surgery. Butterworth. 1958.
 * Reviews:, ,.
 * Millard R, Pigott R, Zies P. Free skin grafting of full-thickness defects of abdominal wall. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1969
 * Millard DR, Total reconstructive rhinoplasty and a missing link. Plast. Reconstruct Surg 37:167-171, 1966.