Buccal Fat Removal: Ask an Expert

Buccal fat removal is the new surgery ‘trend’ that’s gone viral on TikTok, but is it safe? Mr Naveen Cavale, discusses some of the most Googled questions that have come up in the past few weeks as this surgery has started to gain traction. Here’s everything you need to know.



What is buccal fat is and what purpose it serves in the face? 

Buccal fat is a fat mass located on either side of the mouth between facial muscles. It’s more prominent in some people than others. Its exact purpose isn’t known, but there are theories that it is there to serve as a cushion to protect facial muscles and/or teeth.

What exactly is buccal fat removal? 

Buccal fat removal is essentially exactly what it says on the tin. It involves removing part of the fat from the buccal fat pad – tissue that is located deep within the cheek. The reason some people opt for this surgery is to give a more chiselled appearance, with more definition around the cheek bones.

Why do you think this procedure has gained popularity in recent years?

Social media and filters in particular, have had a big impact. I classify this type of surgery with some of the other ‘trend’ surgery that has done the rounds over the past few years i.e. fox eye lifts etc, which again, has been fuelled by social media. It’s also gained popularity as a few celebrities have mentioned that they’ve had the surgery. I believe Chrissy Teigan shared with her followers on Instagram that she’d had the procedure last year.

What does the surgery involve?

If it’s being done as a stand alone procedure, an incision would be made on the inside of the cheek and the fat would be removed. I’m not a fan of doing it this way as you can risk damaging nearby structures such as your salivary glands and nerve endings etc. I don’t perform it as a standalone procedure. 

How long does the surgery take to do?

I can’t really comment as it’s not something I choose to do personally. I would imagine it would take about an hour and it would be done under local anaesthetic.

How safe is the procedure and what are the potential risks?

If being done as a standalone procedure, you can risk damaging nearby structures on the inside of the mouth. I don’t think it should be removed on its own, especially in young people. As you age, you lose fat in the face and this is why people have face lifts and fat transfers as they get older. If you remove a lot of fat from the face when someone is young, you have no idea how they will age, especially as fat depletes with age anyway. There is a risk that it could give a skeletal appearance.

I do occasionally perform buccal fat removal if I’m doing a face lift on someone. Face lift patients are older and you can already see where they’ve lost volume in the face. In addition, when you do buccal fat removal as a stand alone procedure, you can’t actually see the fat pad as a whole, so you can’t tell how big/small it is. With a face lift however, you can see the whole area so you know exactly how much buccal fat you’ve got to work with. It is much more controlled this way.

The key thing to note with buccal fat removal is that once it’s gone, it’s gone. If it’s not done carefully and in a specific way, then you can risk premature ageing. In all honesty it’s not a procedure I do often because the vast majority of people won’t be the right candidate. It’s too unpredictable in the long term.

Is there an ideal candidate for buccal fat removal? E.g. more rounded facial structures?

There isn’t, I’m afraid. It’s very much a case by case assessment and I will personally only do it in an older patient who I think would benefit from it as part of a wider face lift surgery.

What do you think of this trend and is there an alternative way to achieve a more sculpted, chiselled cheek contour?

I think a full facial assessment by an experienced practitioner is worthwhile if it’s something you’re considering. It may be that what you’re after can be achieved with injectables, or there might be a completely different surgery that would be more suitable altogether.

In terms of my own personal opinion, I think this is one of those fad trends. You really don’t know what you’re setting yourself up for if you have this surgery done when you’re younger. I’d also be mindful that the sculpted cheekbones is very much a trend – what if the trend changes and fuller cheeks come back in vogue?