WTF is Buccal Fat Removal anyway?
Part one in an ongoing series to help you navigate the many offerings of the cosmetic work universe. Today: Buccal fat removal: WTF is it, have I had it, would I have it, should you have it?
So… WTF is it?
It’s what’s whipping the internet into a frenzy as everyone speculates as to whether some celebs have thinner faces because of this or Ozempic.
How do you pronounce it?
Speculation rages.
It’s technically more correct, given the derivation is the Latin bucca (the cheek), to say byoo-kul.
But the Americans got hold of it, so now, increasingly, ‘buckle’ is used.
Do whichever feels right to you.
What’s the point of it? I mean, what does it actually do?
It’s a process by which the fat pads in the (facial) cheeks are removed through the saliva ducts, giving a hollowed-out, thinner look to the face.
All or some of the fat can be removed.
It is currently an irreversible process.
How does it work?
As above, it’s a surgery that permanently removes fat pads from the face.
And why would someone want it?
Current beauty trends are for gaunt faces with pronounced cheekbones.
Which is a bit weird, as this is the face most people get when they age and have lost the fat and collagen from their faces.
So you’ve got people in their late 30s and above frantically getting stuff injected into their cheeks to make them fuller, whilst people in their 20s are having stuff removed to make them look thinner 🤦♀️
How much is it?
Varies wildly. Anything from $2000-$20,000 in the US and £3,000 to £10,000 in the UK.
This is partly because it’s become popular for cosmetic purposes relatively recently, so the market hasn’t really established a ballpark price for it.
It’s been performed in the context of reconstructive plastic surgery since the 1930s, so it’s not new new, but its use for cosmetic purposes is recent.
Has anyone I would have heard of talked about getting it?
Chrissy Tiegen, in 2021
You can see the video here
No-one else has discussed having this surgery publicly and this site is not here to out anyone but speculation is rife about a dozen or so other celebrities whom it’s broadly accepted have had this done.
Have I had it?
Hell to the fuck no.
Would I have it?
Hell to the fuck no.
Should you have it?
This is one of the rare instances where I’ll stage a virtual intervention and say: Hell to the fuck no.
Anything else I think you should know?
This surgery is extremely new for cosmetic purposes and the long-term effects (i.e. what people getting it now will look like in 20 years) are unknown.
The forecasts for this surgery are not good, long-term. This is because faces need more fat as they age to retain fullness, to compensate for collagen loss.
As both Catherine Deneuve and Jane Fonda wisely advised us: at a certain age, you have to choose between your face and your arse.
In other words: If you want to look younger, you need to carry some weight in the face. Buccal fat removal will prevent this and - as above - the procedure is currently irreversible.
Reminder that any cosmetic work undertaken should be in accordance with The 6 rules of cosmetic work. Here they are, in case you missed them the first time…
