Buccal Pad Fat Removal is a cosmetic procedure used to remove the buccal fat pad tissues from the cheek area of your face, thereby making your cheeks less prominent or protruding. This makes the face overall proportionate and gives it more character. These extra tissues are usually present in the oral cavity of the mouth, making the cheeks look too full. These do not go as you try to lose body weight because these are fibrofatty tissues and not pure fat tissues present in the superficial layer of skin. As the face ages naturally, these pads tend to loosen, making the face look even more sagging. Hence, this plastic surgery procedure is aims at removing the buccal fat pads and tighten the skin around the cheek area.
You must consider a Buccal Fat Pad removal surgery if:
- You have excess fat on both the cheeks which makes your face look disproportionate
- If you get those odd-looking protruding curves in both cheeks when you smile.
- If you opted for facial liposuction and it gave you almost negligible face slimming.
- If you want a slimmer face but you do not want your cheeks to sag after losing extra fat.
How is it done?
Buccal Fat Pad Removal is performed under general or local anaesthesia, recommended as per patient’s condition. After the administration of anaesthesia, about 1/2 cm incision is given at the buccal mucosa which is inside the oral cavity of the patient. This incision acts as the site to extract fat from the cheeks. Pressure is applied to the outer surface of the cheeks, pushing the buccal fat pad to protrude inside the mouth. The required amount of tissue is extracted from this protruding fat pad, leaving the cheek size reduced and proportionate to face. The incision is then closed with the help of absorbable sutures. Healing occurs in just few days. The entire procedure takes only about 30 minutes.
What not to do during recovery?
The downtime for Buccal Fat Pad Removal is about 2-3 days. Patients feel fully recovered after that. However, patients cannot have any drink or food until six hours post surgery. After these initial six hours, soft food or liquid food is allowed. Food that is hard to bite or chew like raw vegetables, fruits, or nuts must be avoided until one week post surgery.
If you are a smoker or a drinker, abstain for one month after surgery.
