24 year-old with puffy-looking cheeks, desiring more chiseled appearance. Am I a good candidate for buccal fat removal? (photo)

Young male patients in their 20s with puffy-looking cheeks who desires a  more chiseled appearance are usually good candidates for buccal fat removal if they have good cheek bones.
Buccal fat removal permanently removes the fullness of the lower anterior cheeks ( chubby cheeks). This could allow the patients to achieve a chiseled facial look like the modes presented in your pictures. However, to have a chiseled look it is necessary to have prominent high cheek bones ( like the models in the picture). Without cheek bones, buccal fat removal decreases the fullness of the face but won't be able to deliver a chiseled look. Therefore, the chiseled look after buccal fat removal depends on the cheek bones ( see  video below) 

When a patient has a full and round face and despite weight loss the fullness persist or if the patient is in his normal weight and the chipmunk faces has stayed all the time, a bichectomy or buccal fat pad removal is useful. It´s true that with aging the buccal fat pad tends to diminish in volume do to atrophy, but if the volume is excessive a bichectomy will not hollow the cheek overtime. Many patients are happy with the results, a proper selection is a very important manner. Usually the procedure takes less than 30 min and you can go homethe same day. You'll be able to go back to work on the 3rd day post-op but 1 week off would be more comfortable. Best regards

Dear SpanishBoy,

 

Buccal fat pad removal is a precise procedure and should be performed by extensively experienced surgeons.

Establishing candidacy is as important as the surgery itself and so seeking a consultation with the right surgeon will help you come up with a solid decision.

With age, the buccal fat pad will undergo atrophy and so its removal (if necessary) should be approached conservatively.

Nonetheless, facial contouring could be achieved through different procedures.

It is hard to present a definitive recommendation based on the personal photographs you have attached.

However, to establish the look in "pic 2", a surgeon could recommend mandibular (jaw) and malar (cheek) implants, supplemented with submental liposuction if necessary.

 

Best of luck to you.

Dr. Sajjadian