2 Reasons Why Buccal Fat Removal is So Popular

The ideal candidate for buccal fat removal are patients with fullness in their cheeks that tends to obscure their cheek bones and jaw bone. The cheek bones should be the widest part of the face, and light should reflect off of them. Excess buccal fat obscures the cheek bones and the jawline. Removing the buccal fat pads can help highlight the cheek bones and the jaw bone giving the patient a more contoured look.  

What is the buccal fat pad?

The buccal fat pad is a deep fat pad that exists in our cheeks to allow the muscles of mastication to slide over each other it's a gliding plane. Excess chubbiness or roundness in the front part of the cheeks is usually because of excess buccal fat. These patients are good candidates for buccal fat excision. ​

Who is a candidate for buccal fat removal in Tampa?

Patients who are bothered by the bulkiness of their cheeks just behind their mouth are good candidates. This fat is present in our cheeks from when we are babies, in some people the fat atrophies in other patients it is still present.  Removing the fat can enahce the overall appearance of your face and highlight your cheek bones. If the bulkiness in the face is further back that usually requires Botox to the masseter or chewing muscles. If there is excess fat in the in the face overall then the buccal fat removal really won't do much to slim out the face the patient will need a more comprehensive weight reduction regime before embarking on this surgery.

How is Buccal fat reduction performed?

This is a procedure done under local anesthesia and all the incisions are made on the inside of the mouth we only take out a small portion of the buccal fat as the remaining aspects of it have an important functional role. You will be swollen for about 1 week. You will have 2-3 sutures placed inside your mouth that will dissolve on their own.  Patients usually just take over the counter tylenol for pain.  Check out this blog post I wrote to learn more about buccal fat removal. 
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How will buccal fat removal change my look?

The buccal fat sits in your cheeks. Removing the fat, helps reduce the fullness in your cheeks and highlights your cheek bones. This gives a more refined contour to the face
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3 Procedures to Combine with Buccal Fat Removal

Many of you have heard of fat grafting where we take out fat from your belly or thigh and put that in your face to add volume to areas that have lost it. Interestingly this procedure can often be combined with buccal fat reduction to help the face achieve a better balance. Ideally patients want the high point of their face where the light reflects to be their cheek bones.  In patients who have deficient or flat cheeks fat grafting can help build that area up and removing the buccal fat which is in front of and below the cheeks will help to highlight the cheek bones.. While the buccal fat pad is a small fat pad yet it is rich in fat stem cells so it also can be turned into fine particles and used as a volumizing agent for certain targeted locations.  

​Neck liposuction is also a common procedure that our patients combine with liposuction that can also be done under local anesthesia to help improve the jawline contour. Doctor Rayess will be happy to discuss this further with you during your consultation. 

Chin implant can also be used to strengthen the jawline in certain patients and give the snatched look to the face. ​

Can you get rid of Buccal Fat Naturally? Does it go away with weight loss?

No it does not. Due to genetic factors, blood supply and its isolated location the buccal fat pad tends to be resistant to weight loss. So while losing weight can make you slimmer overall, it will not have a significant impact on the buccal fat pad and your cheeks. 
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Is buccal fat removal permanent?

Yes it is. Once the fat pads are removed from the body they will not come back. 
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​ASK DR RAYESS ABOUT BUCCAL FAT REMOVAL

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​6516 Gunn Highway, Tampa, FL 33625

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 813-800-FACE

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