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For men and women with a perpetually soft "baby face," buccal fat removal can enhance poorly defined facial contours.

What is buccal fat?

We are all born with pads of fat located in the lower portion of the cheeks. Also known as buccal fat, these pads lend a youthful softness to the mid-face region that typically diminishes with age to reveal a more mature appearance. However, some patients find that their buccal fat remains permanently enlarged, creating chubby cheeks that feel out of place with the rest of their features.

Facial contouring:

A whole new you

By removing unwanted buccal fat, men and women can achieve a more sculpted facial contour that accentuates the natural beauty of their bone structure. In some cases, Dr. Lyos will also inject the extracted fat into areas of the face that need to be enhanced, such as the lips or the upper portion of the cheeks.

  • A more attractive cheek contour
  • Done under local anesthesia
  • No external incisions or visible scars
  • Minimally-invasive approach
  • Short + easy recovery

The Procedure

Your buccal fat removal procedure will be done under local anesthesia and should take about one hour to complete.

To begin, Dr. Lyos will create an incision inside the mouth, between the cheek and gums. Through that opening, he will remove precise amounts of unwanted fat. Because buccal fat tends to diminish naturally with age, he will remove just enough volume to contour your face -- but not enough to result in a gaunt appearance as you age.

What to expect after surgery

After the procedure, you can look forward to very little downtime. You may experience some minor swelling and bruising, but it should dissipate completely within a couple of weeks. To minimize these effects, you may apply cool gel packs to the area every 20 minutes for the first 24 to 48 hours. You will also want to adopt a soft-food diet for a few days to give your mouth time to recover.

In most cases, you will be free to return to work and your normal daily routine as soon as you're comfortable being seen in public. However, it's important to avoid strenuous exercise and elevating your blood pressure until the area has fully healed.

Results: An improved facial contour that gets better with time

The results of your procedure will be apparent once all swelling has completely subsided. In general, this happens within two to three weeks.

At that point, our Houston patients report being extremely satisfied with the results of their buccal fat removal with Dr. Lyos. They enjoy a slender, contoured appearance that not only looks incredible today - but also continues to improve as the aging process progresses and their face continues to thin.

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