Can a Buccal Fat Removal & Cheek Filler Be Done at Once?

Question

I want to enhance my cheekbones, with Radiesse fillers, before switching to implants. I also want my face to look a bit thinner with moderate buccal fat removal. Can these 2 procedures take place at the same time or should I just do the fillers? I'll also be getting fat injection in the middle of my bottom lip which goes in like a dent.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Treatment of ‘chubby cheeks’ cannot be achieved alone with buccal fat pad removal; a fact that I encounter time and time again when seeing patients in consultation for lower facial sculpting. My approach is to use a combined protocol that redefines aesthetic contours of the face. This includes the following: 
  
Buccal Fat Pad Removal Non-surgical Muscle-Fascia Tightening Venus Legacy or Venus Viva Ultherapy Submental Liposuction or Coolsculpting   
The combined approach is ideal. Buccal fat pad removal is a exceptional procedure that can remove excess fat from the cheek pads. Using an intraoral approach, a small incision is carried through the mucosa to remove a small fat pad within the cheek. Closure of the incisions is minimal with an absorbable suture and patients will experience some swelling post-operatively. We use SwellX tablets post treatment. Once healed, the contour of the cheek is improved and we begin Non-invasive tissue tightening to further enhance results. 
  
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

John Mesa, MD · Answer

Yes, it is possible to undergo buccal fat removal and cheek fillers done at once.In my practice I routinely do cheek bone enhancement with fillers the same day I am doing buccal fat removal on the same patients. This allows the patient to achieve an excellent result of the buccal fat removal. Making the cheek bones more prominent help tremendously to achieve a more chiseled facial look with the buccal fat removal procedure.John Mesa, MDBuccal Fat Removal Specialist Plastic Surgeon

David A. F. Ellis, MD · Answer

Buccal fat removal is becoming more popular as patients with fat lower cheeks do not like that appearance. You can have too much fat, there!!! Remove the fat, then inject your cheeks

	There is swelling post operatively following the buccal fat removal so to be precise the final injections should be 1-2 months post surgery. You can inject some at surgery.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

Yes, both procedures can be performed simultaneously. We do not recommend buccal fat pad removal because your face will naturally lose this fat anyway with the aging process. Buccal fat pad removal can accelerate this aging process. The cheek augmentation is a permanent solution to augment the cheeks. It is performed by insertion of a Silastic cheek implant. It is important to pick the correct size and shape depending upon the patient's anatomy. The implants are inserted through an intra-oral incision under a brief general anesthesia. Expect approximately 2 weeks of swelling and bruising after the procedure.

Ronald Caniglia, MD · Answer

I am not a fan of buccal fat pad removal. As we age we naturally loose volume in the midface (area of the buccal fat pad), adding age to the face. It is very important to keep this fullness in the midface, it is a sign of youth. If one removes this fat now, they without a doubt will most likely be replacing it years down the road.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

Both cheek procedures can be done at the same time since they are performed in different tissue planes. The combination can produce a nice cheek/midfacual sculpting effect. One thought to ponder is whether you want to use the extracted buccal fat instead of Radiesse for the filling. The buccal fat can be processed into an injectable mixture or the fat pads can be used like implants and placed en bloc onto the cheek bones for an augmentation effect. Buccal fat used in this way usually has a good retentive effect.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

It is possible to augment the cheeks with fillers (I prefer using Perlane over Radiesse). It's also possible to shape the cheeks by removing subcutaneous fat...but is unwise to remove the buccal fat as this can cause significant facial hollowing as the face ages. The cheeks may be augmented using Cheek Implants if your cheeks are shaped appropriately to accommodate the placement of implants.

Devinder S. Mangat, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

buccal fat pads are a very important ingredient to maintain the natural fullness in the face and should not be removed because down the road it will give you a gaunt and sunken cheek appearance which may then require fat transplants. Radiesse can be easily injected to give you cheek enhancement on a temporary basis until you get cheek implants as a permanent solution. Do not have Buccal fat pad removal!

Can a Buccal Fat Removal & Cheek Filler Be Done at Once?

Answers (8)

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