Buccal Fat Pad Excision

A 20 minute procedure, buccal fat pad removal involves taking away the “chubby cheek” look by making a small incision inside of your mouth and excising excess fat that is in the cheek.

The buccal fat pad is a rounded mass of fat in the middle of your cheek. It’s located between facial muscles, in the hollow area beneath your cheekbone. The size of your buccal fat pads affects your face shape.

Everyone has buccal fat pads. However, the size of buccal fat pads can vary greatly.

If you have larger buccal fat pads, you might feel like your face is too round or full. You may also feel like you have a “baby face.”

There’s nothing wrong with having bigger cheeks. But if you’d like to make them smaller, Dr. Rockacy might recommend buccal fat removal. This surgery is done to reduce the width of round faces.

You might be a good candidate for buccal fat removal if any of the following applies to you:

  • You’re in good physical health.
  • You’re at a healthy weight.
  • You have a round, fuller face.
  • You dislike the fullness of your cheeks.
  • You have realistic expectations.
  • You don’t smoke.

Buccal fat removal isn’t for everyone. It may not be recommended in the following scenarios:

  • Your face is narrow. If your face is naturally thin, the surgery might cause sunken cheeks as you age.
  • You have progressive hemifacial atrophy (Parry-Romberg syndrome). This rare disorder causes skin on one side of the face to shrink. It’s known to affect the buccal fat pad.
  • You’re older. As you age, you naturally lose fat in your face. The procedure might emphasize jowls and other signs of facial aging.