If buccal fat removal is irreversible and fat pad shrinks with age, why is it still done?

Question

Buccal fat removal does nothing for subq fat. Most patients with chubby cheeks have both prominent fat pads and high subq %. You shrink both with weight loss, but also with aging. It's not ideal for men, as it won't allow you to get as lean as possible, you may end up overly gaunt, whereas if you have chubby cheeks, not only you will age more gracefully, but as you get ripped, your face will lean out without looking unhealthy.

Rajaie Hazboun, MD, MBA · Answer

Thank you for posting your question here!You made a lot of valid points. Buccal fat removal is not for everyone. You do lose some of that fat as you age and if you did not have herniated buccal fat or chubby cheeks to begin with you will look gaunt which ages you . It is true that it is irreversible and that is why surgeons should be selective on who they perform it on. That being said you can offset some of the results of the gaunt look in individuals with fat grafting in the future. It is usually done on a different plane ( the subq fat ) but it does help volumize the cheeks and reducing the gaunt look.I hope this helps! best of luck!

Thomas Tzikas, MD · Answer

The buccal fat shrinks with age just like fat in other areas of the face. The buccal fat pad descends with aging and becomes more visible as people age. I mainly remove buccal fat in heavier faces earlier in life. Having said that, I have had several older patients with repeated facelifts that have visible protrusion of the buccal fat. This is because the covering of the buccal fat is thin or has been violated. In these patients, I will remove some buccal fat to create a smooth surface contour under the skin.

If buccal fat removal is irreversible and fat pad shrinks with age, why is it still done?

Answers (2)