Hello, Thank you for your question. I understand that you would like the best option to thin your younger, “fuller” face. There are honestly not that many options because liposuction of the face itself is not a common procedure, a safe procedure or even an effective procedure, unless it is performed in a very, very carefully selected patient. I’m not speaking of liposuction of the neck. Liposuction of the neck is very commonly performed for individuals with fullness in the submental region. What I just spoke of was liposuction of the cheeks below the skin. That is not a common procedure. I think you are on the right track. The best option by far to nicely, subtly but noticeably thin your face would be buccal fat removal. The result is subtle and you will certainly notice the result and your before and after photographs will also demonstrate the thinning effect from the buccal fat removal. The result however is not going to be drastic. I do understand and agree that surgeons need to mention to you there is a possibility of having volume loss in your face ad you get older, as a result of having buccal fat removed when you were younger. I think what’s important in your case however is that your overall body habitus is thin and you still have a full face. So it’s not like you can lose a bunch of weight to thin your face. if a patient is significantly overweight then obviously the best way to thin the face would be generalized weight loss. I see frequently people that are in good physical condition and have a normal BMI. They have a nice body habitus but they have a full face. If having a thinner face is important to you at this point in your life, I recommend having your buccal fat removed. The amount of buccal fat removed is not necessarily large. The buccal fat pad varies from individual to individual but you’re only going to most likely have removed about four cracked almond sizes from each side. If you want to say this is the size of a walnut, I think that a walnut is the largest fat pad anybody owns. In the patients I have performed the surgery on, most have been young, one was an absolutely stunning model and all of my patients have been satisfied with the procedure. Finally, It is important to choose your surgeon carefully. Just like any surgery you are choosing to undergo, it is important to find a surgeon that is confident to perform this procedure on you. While identifying the buccal fat pad is not that difficult, sometimes it does require greater skill and there is certainly important anatomy in the vicinity of the buccal fat pad. also, this surgery does not require general anesthesia. It can be performed using local anesthesia with or without oral anxiety reducing medication. I hope my information helps Guide you in your journey to obtain your most ideal appearance. Please also remember there are absolute limitations and you always have to have reasonable expectations. Trust your surgeon! We are all accountable for our work
