“I had actually never ever enjoyed with my face form, particularly my jawline. I look much like my older relative as well as our face form doesn’t age well. My buccal fat was offering me dewlaps, as well as it would certainly have remained to become worse,” a confidential good friend, allow’s call her Layla, declared when talking about the surge of aesthetic treatments as well as her choice to spend lavishly on buccal fat elimination along with a nose surgery in 2019.
It looks like though while we were resting, completely uninformed of the term buccal fat, celebs were obtaining the fat eliminated from their cheeks. In 2021, Chrissy Tiegan shared that she had actually obtained buccal fat elimination on her Instagram tales. “No pity in my Dr. Ruby video game,” she created as she explained her fresh contoured cheek location. And also while absolutely nothing is validated, Mindy Kaling, Zoe Kravitz, as well as Lea Michelle look significantly various as well as the net has actually thought that it is an outcome of buccal fat elimination. Cosmetic surgery can be a delicate subject as well as many people pick to stay quiet regarding the job they have actually obtained done. To this particular day, the Kardashians are still attempting to encourage us (does anybody keep in mind when Kim obtained an x-ray of her butt?) that their bodies are an outcome of health and wellness nut salads as well as extreme exercise sessions at Dogpound. When your occupation rests on your appearances, it makes good sense that you would certainly most likely to severe sizes to develop as well as protect a specific visual.
3 years later on, after 2 weeks of downtime, Layla is greater than pleased with her buccal fat elimination as well as has compassion with why celebs might desire a gaunt look. “There is a distinction in just how individuals treat me currently,” she confesses. It’s not a surprise the 27-year-old-stripper really felt the stress or need to shape her face. With her appearances associating with her income, Layla exposes, “My revenue has actually climbed considerably after my nose as well as buccal combination,” grinning with a much more graceful face from her one-bedroom house in Manhattan.
According to Spate, generally, there are presently 105.9K regular monthly searches in the United States for buccal fat elimination. “The buccal fat pad is a pocket of fat that lies inside the cheek. Surgical elimination of this fat aids to boost reduced cheek shape making it show up slimmer,” states New york city based, dual board-certified cosmetic surgeon Konstantin Vasyukevic, MD.
As a person with a resources R round face, this “pattern” (if you can call thousand-dollar medical therapies a fad) has actually sent me right into rather of a panic. Our society has actually constantly been consumed with looking as sickly as feasible, yet it actually looked as though points were reversing. We ought to have recognized that the return of butterfly clips as well as low-rise denims would at some point lead us back to this insanity. While I’m not always versus cosmetic surgery, I do want there was even more of a cumulative concentrate on doing the job called for to really feel safe (and even neutral) regarding one’s looks as they naturally are. “Cosmetic surgery cannot make you protect in just how you look, as corny as that is. You will certainly locate little points to stress over as well as attempt to deal with, yet a significant instability that makes you not intend to take pictures or live your life deserves dealing with if you are able as well as actually intend to on your own,” states Layla. “Nobody actually ‘requirements’ cosmetic surgery unless it’s gender-affirming or rebuilding, yet we don’t need a lot of things we spend money on.”
If you, too, are curious about buccal fat removal, here’s everything you need to know about this under-the-radar aesthetic procedure.
What is buccal fat removal?
As previously mentioned, buccal fat removal is a cosmetic surgical procedure in which excess fat from the buccal fat pads is removed. The in-office procedure is done in approximately 30 minutes under local anesthesia and involves removing the fat through a small incision on the inside of the cheek. “The buccal fat pad is a deeper structure just below the cheek and near the jawline that tends to give fullness to the area. If an individual has an excessive amount of buccal fat pad or [suffer from] drooping, they tend to have a more rounded or jowly appearance,” explains Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Babak Azizzadeh, MD. “[This procedure involves] removing the fat pad to give a more angular and heart-shaped appearance to the face,” he states.
What are the benefits?
The main benefit of buccal fat pad removal is slightly more definition in the cheek area and a more chiseled facial shape. This procedure helps slim the region between the upper cheek area (malar region)and the lower jawline. And here, I naively thought I could achieve these same results with daily Gua Sha and KKW beauty contour sticks.
It is important that buccal fat excision not be thought of in isolation. “I use buccal fat pad repositioning during my deep plane facelift procedures to not only help with the facial shape but also to support the deeper layers of my facelift. This has significantly impacted the naturalness and longevity of my outcomes as well as reducing the recurrence of jowling (the excess skin on the lower face) in my patients,” explains Dr. Azizzadeh.
How long is the downtime?
When performed as a standalone procedure, the downtime is fairly quick, and “patients are able to return back to normal social activity within 7 to 10 days,” says Dr. Azizzadeh. Buccal fat removal can also be performed in conjunction with a facelift, in which the downtime varies and may take longer to complete. Following the treatment, the aftercare is relatively simple. Dr. Azizzadeh recommends a clear liquid diet for 48 to 72 hours due to stitches inside the mouth and to avoid a risk of infection.
Dr. Vasyukevic agrees, “patients would start with [a] liquid diet for the first 1-2 days and then progress to soft foods and then regular diet within 1 to 2 weeks post surgery.” Heavy physical exertion should be avoided for at least 2 to 3 weeks.
How much does it cost?
With so much expertise and precision needed, buccal fat removal doesn’t come cheap: It ranges from $5,000 to $20,000 per treatment, depending on where you’re located, the surgeon, their level of expertise, and the level that they are in demand. The cost of buccal fat pad removal also depends on whether it’s performed in conjunction with a facelift or as a standalone procedure.
How to choose a surgeon
Currently, there are no doctors who solely focus on buccal fat removal. Your first choice should be to find a facial plastic surgeon who specializes in facial rejuvenation and has done a lot of facelift work. When looking at credentials, Dr. Vasyukevic suggests “looking at Doctors training in facial surgery as well as a board certification such as American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.”
The drawbacks
Like any surgery, there are risks. Double board certified, Beverley Hills, California-based, plastic surgeon Dr. Kelly Killeen explains, “The main risk of this surgery is bleeding and injury to nerves.” However, she adds, “Nerve damage is very rare with experienced surgeons.”
If you do not go to an experienced surgeon and the procedure is not done correctly, over-resection can be quite disfiguring and “can create significant hollowness in the middle portion of the face that can negatively impact one’s aesthetics,” says Dr.Azizzadeh. “Extreme care should be used in the amount of buccal fat pad that’s removed and whether the patient actually needs it or not.”
It’s also important to remember that removing cheek fat decreases the volume of the face. “This might be beneficial for patients of younger demographics but could lead to premature aging later in life,” warns Dr. Vasyukevic. If your TikTok feed of taught faces has you itching to make an appointment with a plastic surgeon, keep in mind that the procedure is permanent and not reversible. “Adding filler of fat grafting could help to restore volume, but would not lead to a complete reversal,” says Dr. Vasyukevic.
Another thing to note is the mental toll it takes on you when you decide to go under the knife. It’s essential to go in with a clear mind, as this procedure is irreversible. That means if you recently went through a breakup, you require to stay far, far away. Altering your face shape won’t bring them back. Stick to traditional coping mechanisms like dyeing your hair platinum blonde, getting bangs, or doing both. Layla shared, “When people see photos of me now versus then, they just assume it’s normal baby fat loss. The original shape of my face is still generally maintained. Every now as well as then I suffer from cognitive dissonance because I don’t look like my old self anymore. But I am at peace with how I look as well as genuinely happy with how it turned out. I’ve reached neutrality as well as I believe that’s the most effective anybody can wish for.”
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