Sudden Buccal Fat. Why? (photo)

Question

In the past 3 mos I developed a large and sudden pocket of buccal fat on one side of my cheek. I have a small amount on the other side but not nearly as prominent. I had a neck lift with lower face lift 4-5y ago. I'm 56 & have otherwise had mild to very minimal signs of jowling or lower face aging before or since surgery. Can someone advise on how this could develop so suddenly and what my options are? Also, could buccal fat removal cause sagging, or other unwanted appearance issues?

Rajaie Hazboun, MD, MBA · Answer

Thank you for posting your question here!My answer will be based on the limited information and pictures provided, for a detailed and personalized plan please consult with your plastic surgeon in person .
it is hard to tell completely what is going on based on the pictures provided alone. I am sorry that you have to deal with this issue , I am sure it's frustrating. My assumption is that the buccal fat herniated through an area of weakness or a defect and resulted in it appearing that way it is. The defect could have occurred secondary weakness of the tissue due to aging etc or secondary to the previous surgery etc , that being said this can me managed in multiple ways , one is repositioning the fat and closing the defect , this will likely be best done if you are planning on having another face lift down the line . If not you can always consider buccal fat removal , this is an easy straight forward operation that can be done under local anesthetic through an intra-oral incision. That being said if excessive buccal fat was removed or if it was removed in individuals who are relatively lean it might result in a gaunt appearance and can age a person rather than improve their appearance especially that people tend to lose that fat as we age so it speeds the process. In any case I would encourage you to discuss the issue with your surgeon so they can come up with a plan that would work for you.I hope this helps, best of luck!

Sudden Buccal Fat. Why? (photo)

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Sudden Buccal Fat. Why? (photo)

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