Lower face fullness. Will buccal fat removal and masseter Botox help? (Photo)

Young patients who would like to change their lower face fullness can benefit from both buccal fat removal and masseter Botox. However, it is essential to understand that these procedures target different areas of the lower face and are not interchangeable.
Buccal fat removal corrects the fullness of the lower anterior face, while masseter Botox addresses the fullness of the lower posterior face. Combining both procedures can help achieve a thinner, V-shaped lower face. However, Botox to the masseter alone will not reduce lower face fullness if the patient also has fullness due to enlarged buccal fat pads.
John Mesa, MDBuccal Fat Removal SpecialistNew York - New Jersey- Miami
To be a candidate for buccal fat removal, the patient must have high cheekbones. If someone in their late 20s already has marionette lines, it indicates they do not have high cheekbones. Therefore, the cheekbones must be enhanced before or at the same time as the buccal fat removal procedure (usually with cheekbone fillers) to avoid looking aged or older after the procedure.
Patients in their late 20s do not need a lower facelift if they are experiencing marionette lines. They just need to enhance their cheekbones to correct those lines, which are a sign of midface and lower face descent due to a lack of high cheekbones.

Lower face fullness is characterized with prominent buccal fat pads and hypertrophic masseter muscles. Technically, 40-60% of buccal fat should be removed and it is optimal when the age is between 25-35. Hypertrophic masseter muscles or bruxizm is usually treated with botox and this will result with less bulging in mandible angle.