What is Buccal Fat Pad Removal?

Buccal fat pad removal is an excellent way of reducing the "chipmunk cheek" appearance that plagues patients. Often, their parents have the same facial configuration even in their 60's and 70's!
Buccal fat pad removal must be weighed against the possibility of hollowness later on, of course. It must also be weighed with consideration of facial harmony as a whole (i.e. the cheekbone to cheek juxtaposition). The patient's age makes a big difference as well. The procedure should not be performed in patients with "baby fat" in their early 20's. only patients with legitimate facial disharmony.
However, if patients have excessively full cheeks in their 30's, and their entire family has the characteristic "chipmunk look", how long do you want to wait for the patient to "burn through" their buccal fat pad and look good? Until they are 85?
A board cerfitied plastic surgeon with a serious interest in cheek anatomy and surgery, who possesses an artistic eye, is your best bet to answer this question.

Buccal fat removal is the plastic surgery procedure that removes the "chubby look" of the face permanently. The "chubby look" is caused by enlarged buccal fat pads. Therefore, by removing these pads from the face, the face becomes less chubby, more chiseled and model-like after the procedure. 

Buccal fat pad removal is a way to remove a fat pad around the cheeks through an incision inside the mouth.  It can be done under light sedation or straight local anesthesia.   Fat in this area can give the appearance of youth, but can also give a convex contour that is unwanted.  This area needs to be evaluated carefully and the fat pad removal should be done conservatively to avoid the hollow look in the future. Good luck!

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 removla is useful. Its 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!

The buccal fat pads are located in the lower portion of both cheeks, and in some patients large buccal fat pads can create chubby "chipmunk" cheeks. Removal of these fat pads or reduction in their size is typically performed through an incision on the inner surface of the cheek. This procedure is not appropriate for everyone, and patients should be very carefully selected. As we age, we lose some of the fat in our face naturally, which is part of what makes a face look older. In the incorrectly selected patient, removing any portion of the buccal fat pad may lead to a gaunt, aged appearance, if not initially then later down the road when the aging process causes atrophy of the remaining facial fat pads. There are other procedures which can provide the slimming effect that you are interested in without removing any fat, such as augmentation of the upper cheeks with fillers or implants, or Botox injection to the masseter muscles that lie over the jaw. I recommend scheduling a consultation with a facial plastic surgery expert who can evaluate your concerns in person in order to determine which procedure or procedures would be most likely to give you the results you desire.
Best wishes,

Hi,
The face has many fat compartments, the buccal fat is one of these compartments. If you clench your teeth, the area just in front of the contracting muscle houses the buccal fat. The fat compartments of the face tend to deflate as you age, so removing buccal fat has to be done conservatively to avoid a hollow or gaunt appearance. Removing the fat can be done through the mouth under local anesthesia with minimal downtime. It is important to seek a consultation with a facial plastic surgeon to determine if you care a good candidate.
Good luck,
Mehdi Sina, MD