ProceduresBuccal fat removal · Maxillofacial surgery

Buccal fat removal,
when it makes sense

Buccal fat removal reduces the buccal fat pads, the deep fat of the cheek, through a small incision inside the mouth, with no visible scar. The result depends on the shape of your face: that is why it starts with an honest assessment.

Book your consultation→Step by step↓

Anesthesia: Local, with conscious sedation available
Incision: Inside the mouth, no visible scar
Swelling: Settles in 2–3 weeks
Final result: At 3–6 months

Approximate values: every case is different and your plan confirms them at the consultation.

What is buccal fat removal?

The buccal fat pads are two pockets of fat deep in the cheeks. In some people they are large and round out the middle third of the face.

The procedure removes part of that fat through an incision on the inside of the cheek, at the level of the upper molars. It is permanent: that fat does not grow back.

With age the face naturally loses volume. That is why it is not advisable for thin faces, where it can bring that ageing forward. The assessment decides whether it is indicated and how much to remove.

Is it for me?

01Your cheeks are round because of deep fatnot because of overall weight.
02Your weight is stablelarge weight changes change the result.
03You want definition, not a drastic changefat is removed in measure so the face ages well.

It is not for every face: in thin or long faces it may not be indicated.

Expectations

What it does and what it does not.

01What it does
Refines the mid-face
Reduces cheek volume below the cheekbone and defines the contour between cheekbone and jaw.
02What it does not
It does not slim the whole face
It does not change fat under the skin or a double chin, nor replace weight loss. If the volume comes from there, this is not the answer.

Step by step

Operated in one visit. Seen over a few months.

01Before
Assessment
Face shape, skin and where the volume comes from are evaluated. Whether it suits you is decided.
02Day 0
Surgery
Local anesthesia, with sedation available. Incision inside the mouth, fat removal and sutures.
03Week 1
Check-up
Wound review; soft diet and rinses.
042–3 weeks
Swelling settles
Most of the swelling goes down.
053–6 months
Result
The tissues settle and the final contour shows.

Recovery

What to expect afterwards

Days 1–3
Cheek swelling, normal and at its peak these days. Cold packs, head raised and the prescribed medication.
Week 1
Soft diet and rinses; most people return to their routine.
Weeks 2–3
Most of the swelling goes down.
Months 3–6
Final contour.

Frequently asked

What patients ask before deciding.

The surgical reduction of the buccal fat pads, the deep fat of the cheek, through an incision inside the mouth.

Swelling hides the change for the first weeks. The contour starts to show at one month and the final result between 3 and 6 months.

Not a visible one: the incision is inside the mouth.

Yes. The removed fat does not grow back. That is why it is removed in measure, considering how the face changes over the years.

Those of any surgery—swelling, bleeding, infection, asymmetry—and, less often, injury to the parotid duct or branches of the facial nerve. Knowing the anatomy of the area reduces that risk.

It is defined after the assessment, depending on the case and the type of anesthesia.