Buccal Fat Removal in San Francisco, CA

Face fat removal (or buccal fat removal) by our board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Charles K. Lee, will slim chubby cheeks and surgically sculpt a facial profile. A face fat reduction is a surgical procedure that minimizes the fat pad in the cheeks that are so difficult to change through diet and exercise. Our patients, both men and women, may be skinny but have chubby cheeks that are disproportionate to their overall facial characteristics. At L Plastic Surgery, we can go over the pros and cons of buccal fat removal to see if you would be a good fit for this procedure. Call our San Francisco, CA office to schedule an appointment to find out more about face fat reduction surgery. Your cherub cheeks can be evaluated by Dr. Lee so that he can create a customized treatment plan to slenderize your cheeks with surgery.

Ideal candidates for a surgical face fat reduction of the cheeks are adults who:

• Are in great health
• Would like to slim down their mid-face
• Have age-related volume loss in their cheeks
• Are not genetically prone to hollow or flat cheeks
• Have lost weight, but the cheeks remain unfazed by weight loss attempts
• Have asymmetry in their cheeks due to a congenital defect, a health condition, or a trauma

Your buccal fat removal surgery may be performed in an outpatient surgical center or at a local hospital where Dr. Lee has medical privileges. Anesthesia or IV sedation will be given to keep you comfortable for your one-hour cheek fat reduction surgery. The surgery will begin with incisions made in your mouth in the lower section of each cheek. Dr. Lee will manually extract the buccal fat pad equally on each side. Then he will close the incisions in your mouth with sutures. Once you are ready to be discharged, we will send you home with a friend or family member. Your recovery will begin at home, and we will provide detailed instructions on how to care for your incisions to prevent infection.

Recovering at home should be relatively easy at a buccal fat pad removal. You may have a soft diet to follow during your recovery to prevent disrupting the incisions. You will have some swelling within the cheeks. Each day your swelling should go down. Once the swelling has dissipated, you should be able to see your final results.

If you have any questions or concerns about your incisions, please call one of our patient care coordinators at L Plastic Surgery. Signs of infection, fever, or excessive bleeding from the surgical sites are all reasons to make contact with our office. You will have a follow-up appointment for Dr. Lee to check on your healing progress.

What if I have asymmetrical cheeks?
Dr. Lee can address an asymmetrical face when one cheek has more tissue than the other. If you are concerned that your facial asymmetry is unattractive or that there is no balance to your overall facial appearance, we invite you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Lee. He will assess the volume or height of each cheek to make recommendations as to the next steps and if surgery is the right solution.

Why would I not be a great candidate for facial fat removal?
As you age, you will naturally lose volume in your facial features. Dr. Lee will do an in-depth evaluation of your face to determine if you would benefit from this procedure. He will take into consideration how your cheeks will age and look over time.

How do I prepare for the reduction surgery?
We will give you detailed instructions on how to prepare yourself for surgery at L Plastic Surgery. Each patient will have his or her own surgical plan. Based on what type of anesthesia is used and where the surgery is performed, your instructions will be tailored to your needs.

Contact our San Francisco, CA office to make an initial consultation with Dr. Lee and learn more about your best option to reduce the fullness and abundant shape of your cheeks. If you would like to be considered for buccal fat pad removal, call our office and talk to one of our patient care coordinators to find out more. Also, take a look at our buccal fat removal photo galleries to see Dr. Lee's artistic work. When you come into our office for your consultation, we will discuss all that we can do about your facial fullness with buccal fat removal at L Plastic Surgery.