Buccal Fat Removal

We believe a well-prepared patient leads to a successful surgery and recovery. Whether you are flying in internationally or a local, our staff strives to give you a great experience. During your initial call to our office, one of our patient care coordinators will discuss the different options available to improve the areas of your concern. The doctor will review your medical history, spend the appropriate time to review all surgical and non-surgical options, and discuss whether surgery can be performed in-office under local sedation or at the hospital under general anesthesia. In sharing our before and after photos, you get a better sense in the quality of surgery our doctors offer and what outcome you can expect to achieve. We will review pre- and post-operative care so you can be prepared for what your role is in surgery. You will be asked to stop smoking two weeks prior to and post-surgery. Safety is our top priority, so we will ask you to see your primary care physician to perform a physical exam, lab work and, in some patients, an EKG 30 days prior to surgery. Next, we see you for a pre-op appointment two weeks prior to surgery to discuss any questions you may have and review surgery details, ensuring everyone is on the same page. You will then receive a courtesy call the evening before surgery to review instructions and any questions you may have.

The procedure is short, lasting about an hour, and is usually performed on an outpatient basis with the patient under local anesthesia.

Once local anesthesia is administered, the cheek area will be numb and the patient will not feel the pain. Dr. Bitar will make an incision between the cheek and gums starting in the back of the mouth just above the upper molars. The incision is between 2 and 3 centimeters long and exposes the fibers and fascia of the buccinator muscles, the major muscles of the cheeks. Once the muscle is exposed, Dr. Bitar will apply pressure to the external cheekbone, the pressure forces the buccal fat to protrude from the incision so it can be pulled out with tweezers or forceps. When the correct amount of fat has been removed to produce your desired results, Dr. Bitar will close the incision.

While facial liposuction can also be employed to remove fat from the cheek area, this method of buccal fat removal results in a slimmer face without tell tale of surgical incisions or permanent, visible scarring to the face and is usually the most aesthetically pleasing and preferred method by doctors and patients alike.

The fat that lies beneath the cheeks is called buccal fat. The buccal fat removal procedure is designed to surgically and permanently remove excess fat from the cheek area to give the patient a thinner, more defined cheek and face. The procedure eliminates excessive roundness or fullness in the cheek area and can help patients get a more balanced and symmetrical facial shape.

As with any medical procedure, there are some risks associated with buccal fat removal. These include infection, adverse reaction to the anesthesia and a lasting numbness or loss of sensation where the surgical incisions were made, in the central cheek area or in the jawline.
Additionally, the face tends to thin out on its own during the mid to late twenties. Patients who are considering having the procedure performed before reaching the age of 25 or older should take into account the natural fat loss that will occur as they age. If cheek fat is removed and the fat loss that accompanies age naturally happens years after the surgery, the patient can end up looking gaunt. Patients should take genetics into consideration and see if full or fat cheeks run in the family before undergoing the treatment at an early age. Once fat is removed from the skin membrane using the buccal fat removal process, it cannot be replaced.