Fat pads near lip? What is this? And how do I get rid of it? (photos)

Those are probably not fat pads. They are probably branches of the facial artery. The artery is rather curvy in that area and can poke up from the fat below.

This small area of fullness is related to the modiolus ( muscles inserting at the angle of the lips).
It must be differentiated from the Bichat fat pad which is more superior. The fullness in your
picture may not be fat but related to aging in this area. Often fillers may help camouflage the problem with or without the use of neurotoxins. See a board-certified plastic surgeon for a personal evaluation.
Best wishes.

Despite your relatively youthful face, the small area of fullness just beyond and below the corner of the mouth, along with the depressed groove in front of it, probably represent outward and downward bulging of fat that is an early aging change. Injecting filler into the depression could smooth the general contour and minimize the appearance of the bulge. Alternatively, one could try very conservative liposuction to remove a small amount of fat there, but that runs the risk of creating some waviness in the skin. From your photo I can't tell if any skin looseness exists and could be tightened, which might help.

Dear LexiMilo1,

Thanks for sharing your photo! It illustrates the fold of skin along the corner of the lips which develop as the skin loses elasticity. The beginnings of facial skin laxity start at 30 years old when collagen skin repair diminishes and passive skin aging relaxes downward. The fibrous webs connecting each layer under the skin loses fat, stretches, separates and elongates forming 5 growing “waves” of skin at points of attachment, developing:
• hooding along the eyes,
• lower eyelid / cheek junction or tear trough / nasojugal fold
• nasolabial fold,
• lateral mouth commissure and marionette folds,
• jowls and neck.
The mainstays of current facial rejuvenation include:
• Filling
• Lifting
• Tightening
Without the opportunity for an in-person consultation, I would recommend that you:
1. Consult with a talented, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and his team regarding non-surgical and minimally invasive options.
2. Minimally invasive options including
• fillers of the folds;
• Facetite or ThermiTight of the face and neck.
• EuroThread / PDO / Silhouette FaceLift suspension sutures
I hope this is helpful. All the best!

Thank you for posting your photos with your interesting question. It appears that the small symmetrical areas of fullness around your mouth are the modiolus muscles. They become visible because you are thin and do not have as much subcutaneous fat in your face. You have an attractive face with excellent bone structure. I would recommend 4 vials of the facial volumizer Sculptra to be injected around that area and the face to restore and camouflage the muscle. This can can accomplished over 2 sessions 6 weeks apart. The results will be natural and last up to 2 years. I recommend that you have a consultation with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who is experienced with Sculptra injections and can show you their before and after results. Best wishes, Richard Wellington Swift, M.D., F.A.C.S.

There are several muscles that intersect outside your mouth that you are seeing. The reason that you see them is because of your thinness. a bit of filler in the depression below that in what we call the marionette fold will reduce the appearance of the intersection of those muscles we call the modiolus.