Why Everyone Is Talking About Buccal Fat Removal
Everyone now and then, people get obsessed about something whether it is a fashion trend or in today’s case, a cosmetic surgery procedure! Recently, buccal fat removal has become a hot-button topic on social media with over 125.5 million views on the hashtag #buccalfatremoval on TikTok. It all happened after several celebrities were rumored to have had the procedure. So what is it exactly, why it becomes too popular and is it actually worth it?
What Is buccal fat?
The word buccal refers to the lower cheek area; the cheek area around the mouth. While patients usually add fat to the upper cheek area, buccal fat removal is about removing volume with the goal of creating a more defined facial contour and slimming effect. The procedure can help reduce full, rounded cheeks leaving patients with a more chiseled look.
How buccal fat removal is done?
A surgeon will create small incisions on either side of the inside of the patient’s mouth to expose the buccal fat pad, and then remove some or all of the fat. For a natural result, it is important to reduce and contour the buccal fat rather than remove it totally. Removing all the fat may cause a hollow under the cheekbones and a “sucking in” look. Instead of removing the fat, some surgeons will move it to other areas that have lost volume like the upper cheek and deep nasolabial fold.
It is a simple procedure that won’t take more than 30 minutes. Although it is a simple one, it should be done by a skilled doctor because buccal fat exits under the facial muscles and nerves, so the surgeon has to be very cautious not to damage them.
What to expect and are you a candidate?
Patients take almost three days to recover. Expect to see some bruising and swelling which will be gone in one to two weeks. Also, if you decided to do the procedure, you may need to stick to a liquid diet for the first few days. Because it is a permanent procedure, it is important that your surgeon only removes the necessary amount of excess buccal fat to give you a natural-looking sculpted contour.
The ideal candidate is someone who has a naturally full or rounded facial structure and is interested in reducing the fullness in the cheeks to give the face a more defined and chiseled appearance. Patients in their twenties who don’t have particularly round cheeks may be really sorry after a while when their facial fat naturally starts to lessen causing a prematurely older look. So unless you have a natural excessive fullness you better reconsider going under the knife just because your favorite celebrity has done it.
