What Is Buccal Fat Removal? Process, Side Effects, Alternatives ...

If you’re thinking about buccal fat removal, know that there are certain things that can make you a good candidate for this procedure, as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons notes. Ideally, you wouldn’t have any serious underlying health problems and you would be at a stable weight. You would also be a nonsmoker.

And if your goal is to achieve results that still look somewhat natural, you may be a better candidate for this procedure if you have a rounder face than if you naturally have a long, thin face. That’s because removing fat on a face that’s naturally thin can make people look unnaturally hollowed out, says Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the department of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

This cosmetic procedure is also a better option for younger adults, Dr. Zeichner adds. That’s because middle-aged and older adults naturally lose fat in this part of the face and are less likely to achieve the results they seek by removing buccal fat.

“The procedure gives the face a more gaunt appearance, which many people prefer when they are in their twenties or thirties,” Zeichner says. “However, with age, in the forties, fifties, and above, the face naturally loses its fat. People who have had this procedure tend to develop a skeletonized appearance, much more so than people who left their buccal fat pads alone.”

In fact, many of the patients who undergo buccal fat removal come in later in life for injectable filler procedures to restore volume in the very area where they previously had buccal fat removed, Zeichner says. This happens in everyone, but may be most prominent in people who are thin to begin with.