Buccal fat removal has become one of the most popular and talked-about plastic surgery trends of 2023.
The Facts
- Buccal fat Removal or buccal fat pad extraction is a cosmetic procedure that involves removing small pads of fat from the lower part of a person’s cheeks. It makes a person’s face appear slimmer, more sculpted, and gaunt.
- The procedure involves a surgeon making a small incision in the patient’s cheeks from the inside of their mouth and then removing their buccal fat pads. Buccal fat removal costs between $5,000 to $20,000. There are no visible scars but risks include nerve damage and infection.
- The face-slimming procedure takes only 20 to 30 minutes and the results are permanent. Once a person’s buccal fat is removed, it does not replenish again.
- Buccal fat removal costs between $5,000 to $20,000. The procedure leaves no visible scars but risks include nerve damage and infection.
- In October 2021, model Chrissy Teigen revealed that she had undergone buccal fat removal on Instagram.
- In December, the debate around buccal fat removal took off when actress Lea Michele posted a selfie with more caved-in cheekbones, which led social media users to believe that she had the cosmetic procedure done. In the same month, Twitter users speculated that supermodel Bella Hadid and singer Miley Cyrus also had the procedure.
- Plastic surgeons and social media users have also speculated that buccal fat removal is behind the facial transformations of actresses Anya Taylor-Joy, Khloe Kardashian, singer Liam Payne, Sophie Turner, Zoe Kravitz, and supermodel Amelia Gray Hamlin.
Why it matters: Buccal fat removal’s boom in popularity is another indicator that “thin” aesthetic is firmly back “in” again.
- Beauty influencer Matthew James tells The Cut: “Everyone wanted to look like Kylie Jenner. Now they want to look like Bella Hadid.”
- Previously, consumers wanted cosmetic fillers to emulate Kylie Jenner’s plumped-up, pillowy face. Now Hadid’s more gaunt, chiseled look is more popular and people are racing to get buccal fat removal done. Beauty trends have shifted and consumers are looking to cosmetic procedures with permanent results to emulate this temporary ideal.
What’s next:
- While the hashtag #buccalfatremoval may be trending on TikTok, some social media users are pushing back against the cosmetic trend. TikTokers have shared videos celebrating female celebrities with fuller cheeks and make-up artist Rachel OCool posted a viral video on how to accentuate a round face.
- The boom of buccal fat removal could also be a sign of “filler fatigue.” People are recognizing celebrities with lots of fillers can look strange and plastic surgeons are predicting that eyelid and brow lifts could become more popular as a result.
What’s next: A TikTok account imagines what celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Gigi Hadid would look like with buccal fat removal.
Update 03/13/2023 by Pesala Bandara: Information on TikTok account added.