Buccal Fat Removal

Patients with excess or large buccal fat pads may have excessively chubby cheeks, sometimes compared to resembling a chipmunk.

woman holding half a lemon while looking over her shoulder

Transform Chubby Cheeks with Buccal Fat Pad Reduction

Buccal fat pads are pockets of fat located in the cheeks. Patients with excess or large buccal fat pads may have excessively chubby cheeks, sometimes compared to resembling a chipmunk. Buccal fat pads can also contribute to a “baby face” appearance. This can lead to patients being unhappy with their appearance or feeling like they are treated differently because they look so young.

Dr. Korman performs buccal fat pad removal to help contour and slim the lower face. He has four convenient locations in northern California: Mountain View, Carmel, San Francisco, and San Jose. Contact his offices today to request a consultation.

About Buccal Fat Removal

Buccal fat pad removal surgery is the removal of fat deposits in the cheeks to improve facial contour and provide the patient with a more sculpted look. Buccal fat is typically not responsive to diet and exercise and, in order to achieve improved contour in the lower face, most patients will require the fat to be surgically removed. Nonetheless, it is a very safe procedure that Dr. Korman routinely performs – plus it is effective and provides long-lasting results!

Effortless Enhancement: Buccal Fat Removal by Dr. Korman

Dr. Korman’s patients find buccal fat removal attractive because it is a quick procedure, can be performed under local anesthesia, and only requires a few days of downtime. Plus, there is no visible scarring, as the incisions are made inside of the mouth.

Benefits

Following a buccal fat removal procedure, patients will experience improved definition in their cheeks, a more mature appearance, and overall enhanced, personalized results.

Defined Cheeks

While traditional facial sculpting typically involves injectables such as dermal fillers, patients with pre-existing excessive volume in their lower face will not benefit from this type of facial sculpting. This can have the opposite effect and make the face appear more round or bloated. Buccal fat pad removal, on the other hand, removes stubborn pockets of fat that add excess volume to the lower face and thereby slims it, creating attractive, contoured cheeks. Buccal fat removal can enhance the angular and sculpted appearance of the face – qualities generally considered attractive.

Mature Appearance

Patients with rounder cheeks are often said to have a “baby face.” They may appear younger and more childlike, which can make it difficult for them to be respected with authority in the workplace. When patients feel that they look more their age, then they tend to possess more self-confidence that leads people to treat them with the respect that they deserve. There is a difference between appearing youthful and appearing childlike and Dr. Korman helps patients achieve that distinction.

Personalized Results

Dr. Korman meets personally with all patients interested in buccal fat removal during a consultation prior to their procedure. During this consultation, Dr. Korman will analyze the patient’s facial structures and take photographs for further evaluation of the patient’s unique facial anatomy. In this way, Dr. Korman can provide a personalized procedural plan and provide the patient will information on what they can realistically expect following the procedure. In order to meet the patient’s goals, Dr. Korman may recommend additional procedures in combination with buccal fat pad removal.

Good Candidates

Patients concerned about the appearance of excess lower facial fat may be good candidates for buccal fat pad removal. Patients should have already tried slimming their face with diet and exercise. However, since buccal fat is notoriously unresponsive to diet and exercise, even slender patients may struggle with chubby cheeks.

Buccal fat removal surgery is an effective way to slim the face, providing patients with a more contoured and chiseled appearance. It is important that the patient is healthy and has realistic expectations for the outcome of the procedure. At the time of the consultation, Dr. Korman will meet personally with the patient to determine whether or not they would benefit from this procedure.

Procedure

The procedure can be performed under local or general anesthesia, depending on the patient and doctor’s preference. It is a relatively quick procedure and typically only takes about one hour from start to finish. In order to access the fat pads, Dr. Korman will make a small incision on the cheek inside the mouth, so scarring will not be visible. Then, the doctor will physically extract the fatty deposits from the inside of the cheeks, which separate easily from the other facial structures. Since the fat pads are located in the face, they cannot be removed using liposuction.

Recovery

Recovery from buccal fat removal is minimal. Some patients choose to schedule their procedure on a Friday, so they can recover over the weekend and miss a minimal amount of work, if at all. Patients are free to return home following their treatment; however, they should make earlier arrangements for another responsible adult to drive them home from the surgery. Even if the patient receives local anesthesia, it is best for them not to drive directly following the procedure. Patients will be provided with more customized details for their recovery during the consultation.

Immediately following the procedure, patients can expect some bruising and swelling around the surgical site. For this reason, it may take one to two weeks for patients to see their final results, as swelling goes down. Nonetheless, the majority of the bruising and swelling will go down in the first few days following the procedure. Any discomfort that the patient experiences directly following the procedure can be relieved with a prescription provided by Dr. Korman. Swelling can also be controlled with an ice pack. During this time, the patient may be restricted in terms of the kinds of food that they can eat and exercise.

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Additional Procedures

Buccal fat removal can be performed in conjunction with other surgeries or treatments in order to further enhance the contour and definition of the face. In general, patients with already round faces may want to avoid traditional sculpting methods, such as dermal fillers.

Ultherapy

Ultherapy, sometimes called the noninvasive facelift, utilizes ultrasound to heat up the deep tissue layers in the face, causing them to contract and lift. This also stimulates the production of collagen, a vital ingredient in tightening the skin and promoting youthful contour and definition. Good candidates may include patients who have noticed that the skin around their nose, forehead, and jawline have started to sag.

Eyelid Surgery

Some patients with rounder faces may also have excess skin or bags around their eyes, which can make their eyes look smaller and tired. Eyelid surgery can be performed on the upper eyelids to tighten excess skin and on their lower eyelids to eliminate puffy or baggy appearing eyes. The procedure can also improve vision problems and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes.

Coolsculpting

CoolSculpting can be safely performed on the neck to improve the appearance of the neck and the jawline. By defining the jawline, patients will enjoy improved facial contour that makes the face appear youthful, but not childlike. This is a noninvasive procedure that can be performed in less than an hour and allows patients to return to their normal routines following the procedure. Other common areas where CoolSculpting can be performed include the arms, abdomen, flanks, and thighs.

Consultation

Before scheduling a buccal fat removal procedure, patients should request a personal consultation with Dr. Korman. In order to meet his patient’s needs, Dr. Korman has three convenient Bay Area locations in Mountain View, San Jose, and Carmel, CA.

Dr. Korman will recommend the best course of action for the patient, which, in some cases, may include an additional or alternative procedure to buccal fat removal. When the patient comes in for the buccal fat removal consultation, Dr. Korman likes to start by asking the patient about their goals for the procedure. It is important that the patient provides an accurate description for Dr. Korman of what they hope to achieve through buccal fat removal, so the doctor can be sure that it is the best procedure tailored to meet the patient’s needs.

Dr. Korman will perform a physical evaluation of the patient’s facial examination to help personalize the procedure, as well as take photographs for further analysis. In order to get the most out of the consultation, Dr. Korman recommends that the patient comes prepared with any questions they may have about the procedure. It may be helpful to bring in photographs of the type of “look” the patient is aiming for. This will help inform Dr. Korman’s process; he will also let the patient know if their goals are realistic and what they should expect following the procedure.

Cost

The cost of a buccal fat procedure will vary since it is a customized procedure. Dr. Korman will provide a cost estimate at the end of the consultation. Patients should be aware that receiving local anesthesia over general anesthesia will generally reduce the cost.