Dr. Zelken Explains Why There Are So Few Before and Afters for Buccal Fat Pad Removal Surgery

Did you ever notice that there seems to be a scarcity of before and after pics of buccal fat pad removal? And when they are posted, it’s usually done with liposuction of the chin? Why is this? Are the doctors dodgy? Are patients consistently shy? Are the results too subtle? No, no, and no. I don’t think so, at least.

It’s because the bichectomy procedure is beautifully subtle. So much so that the changes are not readily apparent in before and after photos. And it is a 3-dimensional change that cannot easily be appreciated in 2 dimensional photographs. Certain views like the oblique view or the frontal view may identify subtle changes, but really the result needs to be seen in person to be appreciated.

Unlike a BBL or breast augmentation, buccal fat pad removal (despite its widespread popularity on social media) is NOT an “Instagrammable” or Tik Tok-worthy procedure. You won’t see surgeons dancing around a face juggling the resected fat. No, it is a gentle procedure that makes people look a more sculpted, less juvenile, and thinner. It’s not drastic, and in my experience and that of surgeons far senior to myself- it won’t hollow you out, either.

The patient in this video was chosen because the young man had larger-than-normal buccal fat pads, and despite liberal resection, the results are still subtle (granted, it’s only been a month). This is why I consider buccal fat pad removal to be a cosmetically safe procedure that will stand the test of time with facial aging. Pictures don’t do the operation much justice, and maybe that’s why you don’t see as many before and afters as with other procedures.