When we’re young, chubby, round cheeks are a sign of good health and are considered a cute feature. Who doesn’t want to pinch a baby’s chubby little cheeks, right? But when you get older, you may not want that babyish face anymore, preferring instead to look more mature. This is where buccal fat removal may be able to help.
Also called buccal fat extraction and buccal fat excision, buccal fat removal entails removing a small amount of fat from the buccal fat pads in the cheeks. It’s these fat pads that give your cheeks their rounded appearance. For some people, this results in prominent cheeks that may be out of balance with the rest of their facial features. If this applies to you, and you’re self-esteem suffers because of it, buccal fat removal may help balance your features, and restore your confidence.
First, you’ll meet with your surgeon to go over your concerns, answer your questions, and discuss your possible results in an effort to ensure your expectations remain realistic.
We’ll provide you with detailed instructions to help you prepare for the buccal fat removal surgery. This will help your procedure go more smoothly, and will set you up for a quicker, easier recovery.
Your buccal fat removal procedure will be performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia by an experienced surgeon in hospital. Buccal fat removal surgery typically takes approximately an hour to perform. However, this may vary depending on the amount of correction your cheeks need.
During the procedure, your surgeon will make an incision on one side of the inside of your mouth, between your upper molars and inner cheek. He will then apply pressure on the outside of your cheek to push the buccal fat out through the incision, removing small bits of the fat pad a little at a time. This process will then be repeated on the other side of your face. Once the surgery is complete, your doctor will stitch the incisions closed.
