Fat deposits play a pivotal role in determining your face shape. Buccal fat—the natural fat pads between your cheek and jaw bones—vary in shape and size from person to person. Individuals with more fat in this region have a fuller, rounder face, while those with less buccal fat have a more v-shaped face and sharper jawline.
Buccal fat removal is a surgical procedure that removes excess tissue in this small area to define your facial features, creating more prominent cheekbones. However, it’s not the right solution for everyone. Some less-experienced surgeons perform buccal fat removal when Dr. Pearlman would not, leaving patients looking older than before with a gaunt appearance.
At Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery, we have your long-term best interest in mind. Here’s how we ensure the best results, as you can see in our buccal fat removal before and after photos.
Consult With a Facial Plastic Surgeon
First, you’ll meet privately with Dr. Pearlman to discuss your situation, openly talking through your aesthetic concerns and goals, budget, timeline, and lifestyle.
We will examine your unique facial anatomy to determine if excess buccal fat is responsible for your concerns. If it is, Dr. Pearlman will walk you through your treatment options, helping you decide if buccal fat removal surgery is right for you.
Who is an ideal candidate for buccal fat removal?
Trusted amongst the top providers as the best buccal fat removal surgeon in NYC, Dr. Pearlman understands the science behind the natural facial fat loss that occurs with age. He typically recommends that patients wait until their late 20s or early 30s to undergo buccal fat removal surgery, as your face shape still changes while you lose “baby fat” in your 20s.
He often recommends that younger patients hold off on surgery for a few years, and use dermal fillers to contour their features in the meantime. This helps patients avoid developing early skin laxity and a gaunt appearance in the years after surgery.
When performed at the appropriate age, buccal fat removal does not age you.
For patients in their late 20s or beyond, Dr. Pearlman may recommend buccal fat removal if you:
- Have excess buccal fat
- Are in overall good health
- Are at an ideal, stable BMI
- Do not smoke or consume tobacco
It’s also important to set realistic expectations for buccal fat removal. Before and after your surgery, Dr. Pearlman will help you understand how your facial features may change over time. While the procedure is permanent, it does not stop the aging process, which includes facial fat loss.
Alternative and Complementary Procedures
If you are not an ideal candidate for buccal fat removal in NYC, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options. Depending on your unique situation, Dr. Pearlman may recommend using a strategic combination of facial fillers to add volume to your cheeks and define your jawline, drawing attention away from excess buccal fat without surgery.
In some cases, an underdeveloped chin is responsible for a rounder face, in which case a chin implant—or chin and jawline filler in addition to or in place of buccal fat removal—may provide your desired look and balance your facial proportions. On the other hand, if you are looking to address submental fat (a “double chin”), buccal fat removal alone is not appropriate. Instead, we may recommend neck liposuction for neck fat removal in NYC or a neck lift.
It’s important to note that liposuction cannot remove buccal fat, although some inexperienced surgeons may claim that it does. Buccal fat is not subcutaneous (superficial), but instead lies deeper beneath the skin, between two muscles, where liposuction cannot reach.
Buccal fat removal only removes excess buccal fat, not excess skin. However, Dr. Pearlman can perform a facelift or neck lift at the same time as buccal fat removal if you are struggling with skin laxity, including jowls.
→ Learn More About Neck Lifts (Platysmaplasty) in NYC
As we’ve mentioned, you lose facial fat with age. While some people’s buccal fat remains—due to genetics, weight gain, and other factors—they may lose fat in their upper face, such as the temples and undereyes. In this case, we may suggest a face fat transfer in NYC to replenish those fat deposits with your body’s own fat cells for more comprehensive anti-aging results.
Preparing for Buccal Fat Removal
Dr. Pearlman will review our pre-care instructions with you beforehand to ensure you feel prepared on the day of your procedure. To be a candidate for buccal fat removal, individuals who smoke or use other tobacco products must be willing to quit—before and after surgery.
We may also recommend that you discontinue the use of certain medications before surgery, such as anti-inflammatory drugs that can increase bleeding. If you choose to be sedated for surgery, remember to arrange for transportation home.
The Buccal Fat Removal Procedure
Buccal fat removal is a relatively short surgery, typically taking around 30 minutes to complete. At Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery, we take the time to answer all of your questions before you lie on the operating table, so you always feel comfortable and in control.
Anesthesia
Your comfort and safety are at the forefront of our surgical techniques. After administering local anesthesia to your cheeks to numb the area, Dr. Pearlman will begin the procedure. If you’d prefer, we can administer intravenous sedation so you are asleep during surgery.
Incisions
Next, Dr. Pearlman will create a precise incision—smaller than an inch in length—on each side of your mouth from the inside of the cheek.
This leaves patients without any visible scarring, hence why patients in our buccal fat removal before and after photos have such seamless results.
Removing Tissue
Dr. Pearlman applies pressure on the outside of the cheek so he can gently loosen and remove excess buccal fat through the small incision point in the buccinator muscle, which lies against your teeth.
Closing the Incisions
Finally, Dr. Pearlman will close the incision with dissolvable sutures, which do not require removal after surgery.
Recovering From Buccal Fat Removal
Our team has put just as much effort into perfecting our recovery guidelines as we have perfecting our surgical approach itself for buccal fat removal. Before and after surgery, following Dr. Pearlman’s instructions will help you recover more quickly and comfortably.
While buccal fat removal is minimally invasive, it is still a surgery. Aftercare is minimal, but if you combine buccal fat removal with a more intensive procedure like a facelift, your timeline may vary.
Results from buccal fat removal will continue to improve for weeks to months after the procedure as swelling subsides and the tissue heals.
1 to 2 Weeks Post-Op
Immediately after surgery, prioritize rest and follow Dr. Pearlman’s instructions for taking pain medications—although discomfort is typically minimal. Your face may appear swollen, but the swelling is usually less severe than what most people experience after wisdom teeth removal and resolves within a few days.
It’s important to practice good oral hygiene as you heal because the incisions are inside your mouth, but remember to brush your teeth gently. Most people can resume their routine the day after surgery, but we recommend working from home on the first day post-op. Avoid intense physical activity, including going to the gym, for the first 2 weeks after surgery.
3 to 4 Weeks Post-Op
At this point, we’ll invite you back to our office for a follow-up visit to ensure you’re healing properly and take photos, allowing you to see your transformation from your buccal fat removal before and after pictures.
Most patients have recovered from buccal fat removal surgery by the 3-week mark, but remember that complete tissue healing will continue for a few months.
Ongoing Healing and Maintenance
Buccal fat removal is permanent. However, significant weight gain may cause surrounding fat cells to move and expand in your cheeks, so maintaining your weight can help prolong your results.
Work With One of NYC’s Top Facial Plastic Surgeons
If you’re ready to learn more about our personalized approach to facial rejuvenation, book your consultation with Dr. Steven Pearlman for buccal fat removal. Before and after your surgery, we’ll be here to provide the answers and support you need to feel confident throughout your journey.
We empower beauty, and that starts by empowering you.
At Pearlman Aesthetic Surgery in NYC, your experience matters just as much as your results.
Dr. Pearlman is uniquely dual board-certified in both facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery (ENT)—and has performed thousands of successful procedures. He leads the leaders, traveling across the world as a visiting professor to educate future surgeons on his proven facial aging solutions while serving as a clinical professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Consistently recognized over the past decade, Dr. Pearlman has been honored among the top 5% of doctors.
→ Read More About Dr. Pearlman’s Awards From Castle Connolly
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