Buccal Fat Removal: slimming the cheeks with judgment

Buccal fat removal is the procedure that partially removes Bichat’s fat pads, the cushions of fat that fill the deep part of the cheeks. By reducing their volume, the face appears more defined along the cheekbones and jawline.

Bichat’s fat pads form a bounded fat cavity, delimited among other things by the buccinator muscle, and crossed by delicate structures such as Stensen’s duct, a small canal that carries saliva and which must be carefully preserved during the procedure. It is precisely this proximity to important structures that requires the procedure to be performed by a surgeon with specific training.

A trend to approach with caution

Contrary to what is often said on social media, buccal fat removal does not “slim down” every face. It’s worth noting that Bichat’s fat also plays a supportive role: removing too much of it, or removing it from the wrong face, can accentuate a hollow, tired appearance with age. Its trivialization as a trendy “touch-up” is precisely what medical evaluation must protect the patient from.

Buccal fat removal is not suitable for everyone: evaluating the face, and how it will change over the years, guides the recommendation.

How it is performed

The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, with access from inside the mouth at the level of the upper molars, leaving no visible scars on the face. The procedure lasts on average thirty to forty-five minutes; mild swelling and a feeling of tightness are common in the following days and resolve on their own.

Who it is suitable for

The ideal candidate is a young person with a full or roundish face and good skin quality. It is, however, the wrong choice for naturally slim faces, which risk appearing hollowed out, and should be considered with caution in older patients, in whom skin laxity may become more pronounced over time. In these cases, the surgeon must know how to say no.

The value of buccal fat removal, then, lies not in the technique itself, which is simple, but in the judgment that precedes the recommendation. A well-proportioned face is built by considering how it will change over the years, not only how it will look tomorrow.