Buccal Fat Removal Consultation: 5 Steps to Your Dream Look

Your First Step Towards a Sculpted Look

A buccal fat removal consultation is your essential first appointment with a facial plastic surgeon to discuss achieving more defined, contoured cheeks through the removal of excess fat pads located in the lower cheek area. Here’s what this critical initial meeting covers:

What Happens During Your Buccal Fat Removal Consultation:

1. Medical History Review – Your surgeon evaluates your overall health, medications, and any previous surgeries
2. Facial Anatomy Assessment – A thorough examination of your facial structure, skin quality, and buccal fat pad size
3. Goal Discussion – You share your aesthetic desires while your surgeon explains realistic, achievable outcomes
4. Procedure Explanation – Detailed overview of the surgical technique, anesthesia options, risks, and recovery timeline
5. Digital Imaging – Computer-generated visualization of potential results to help you understand expected changes
6. Candidacy Determination – Your surgeon confirms whether you’re a suitable candidate based on facial development, weight stability, and expectations
7. Treatment Plan & Quote – A personalized surgical plan with detailed pricing and potential surgery dates

In the age of selfies and video calls, many people are increasingly aware of facial features they’d like to refine. Perhaps you’ve noticed that no amount of exercise or dieting slims those “chipmunk cheeks,” or you feel your face looks rounder and fuller than you’d like. The consultation is where your vision meets medical expertise.

During this appointment, surgeons like those at top practices use digital imaging technology to analyze your facial features and balance. This isn’t just a quick chat—it’s a comprehensive evaluation where you’ll discuss everything from your medical history to your aesthetic goals, view before-and-after photos of previous patients, and learn exactly what the procedure involves, including potential risks and expected recovery.

Why is this consultation so important? Buccal fat removal is a highly individualized procedure. Your surgeon needs to ensure your face has fully developed, assess whether removing buccal fat will actually achieve your desired look, and determine the right amount of fat to remove—because taking too much can leave you looking hollow as you age, while removing too little may not give you the definition you’re seeking.

As Dr. Sarah Yovino, a double board-certified specialist in non-surgical and surgical facial aesthetics at Ideal Face & Body in Beverly Hills, I’ve guided countless patients through the buccal fat removal consultation process, ensuring they understand every aspect before making this important decision. My approach combines extensive training in facial anatomy with a commitment to natural-looking results that improve your unique features.

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• Buccal Fat Removal Pros and Cons

Your Buccal Fat Removal Consultation: A Step-by-Step Guide

This initial meeting is a crucial, in-depth discussion between you and your surgeon. It’s a two-way conversation designed to align your aesthetic goals with what is surgically possible, ensuring you are a well-informed and comfortable candidate for the procedure. At Ideal Face & Body, we believe that excellent communication between patient and surgeon is paramount during this planning phase.

What to Expect During Your Buccal Fat Removal Consultation

When you arrive for your buccal fat removal consultation, our team at Ideal Face & Body will welcome you into a safe, welcoming, and compassionate atmosphere. This is your dedicated time to discuss your concerns and aesthetic goals in detail. Here’s what you can expect:

• Medical History Review: First, we’ll dig into your medical history. This is vital for understanding your overall health, any existing conditions, medications you’re taking (including herbal supplements), and previous surgeries. This helps us ensure your safety and determine if you have any contraindications for the procedure. We’ll also ask about your smoking status, as being a non-smoker is often a prerequisite for optimal healing.
• Physical Examination of Facial Structure: Our surgeons, Dr. Sarah Yovino and Dr. Justin Yovino, will conduct a thorough physical examination of your face and skin. This involves assessing your facial anatomy, the size and location of your buccal fat pads, and your skin quality. They’ll also evaluate your facial balance to understand how buccal fat removal might improve your overall facial harmony.
• Discussion of Your Aesthetic Goals: This is where you get to share your vision! We want to understand what bothers you about your current facial appearance – perhaps it’s the “chubby cheeks” that make you look younger or heavier than you feel, or you’re seeking a more sculpted, defined adult face. Our surgeons will listen carefully to your desires, answer your questions, and discuss possible results, ensuring your expectations remain realistic and achievable. We’ll explore how buccal fat removal can improve cheekbones, contour the jawline, and create a more refined facial structure.
• Before-and-After Photo Review: We’ll provide you with a portfolio of before-and-after photos of previous buccal fat removal patients. This helps you visualize potential outcomes and understand what results are reasonable for you. Reviewing these photos is a great way to set expectations and see the kind of natural-looking results we strive for.
• Explanation of the Procedure: While the next section will go into more depth, our surgeons will give you an initial overview of the buccal fat removal procedure, explaining the general steps involved, how it’s typically performed, and what makes it a minimally invasive option with no visible external scars.

What Your Surgeon Will Explain

During your buccal fat removal consultation, our surgeons will provide detailed information about the procedure, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of what to expect. This includes:

• Surgical Technique: We’ll explain that buccal fat removal typically involves a small incision made inside the mouth, usually between the cheek and gums. Through this incision, gentle pressure on the outside of the cheek makes the buccal fat pad protrude, allowing our surgeons to carefully remove the desired amount of fat. The incision is then closed with dissolvable sutures, leaving no visible external scarring. The procedure itself is relatively quick, often taking less than an hour. For a more detailed look at the steps, you can refer to the detailed information on the buccal fat removal procedure.
• Anesthesia Options: We’ll discuss the anesthesia options available for your comfort during the procedure. Buccal fat removal can often be performed under local anesthesia, meaning you’ll be awake but the area will be completely numb. In some cases, we may offer local anesthesia with IV sedation for a more relaxed experience. You’ll be able to discuss which option is best for you.
• Potential Risks and Complications: While buccal fat removal is generally considered a low-risk surgery, our surgeons will thoroughly explain all potential risks and complications. These can include infection, bleeding or hematoma, delayed incision closure, injury to facial nerves (which could lead to temporary numbness or weakness), injury to salivary ducts, asymmetry, or overcorrection/undercorrection. We’ll discuss how these are handled and what measures we take to minimize them. Our priority is your safety and ensuring you make a fully informed decision.
• Expected Recovery Timeline: You’ll receive a clear picture of the recovery process. Initially, you can expect some swelling and bruising in the cheek area for the first few days. We typically recommend a liquid diet for the first few days post-surgery, progressing to soft foods after about three days, and then back to your usual diet as healing continues. Most patients can return to sedentary work within about three days to a week. Full recovery, with your cheeks settling into their slimmer shape, is usually expected within approximately three weeks, though final results may take several months to become fully apparent as all swelling subsides.
• Pre-operative Instructions: To prepare you for a smooth procedure and recovery, we’ll provide detailed instructions. This often includes advising you to stop smoking several weeks before surgery, as smoking can impair healing. You may also be asked to avoid certain medications or herbal supplements that can increase bleeding, such as aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs. If general anesthesia or intravenous sedation is used, you’ll need to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night. Preparation ahead of time helps patients have reasonable expectations and a smoother recovery.

From Consultation to Custom Surgical Plan

The consultation is the cornerstone of your surgical plan. It allows surgeons like Dr. Sarah Yovino and Dr. Justin Yovino to create a highly individualized approach that respects your unique facial anatomy and delivers natural-looking, harmonious results. Our passion is achieving nuanced, beautiful outcomes that improve your true essence.

Determining Your Candidacy

Not everyone is an ideal candidate for buccal fat removal, and determining suitability is a critical part of your buccal fat removal consultation. Our surgeons will carefully assess several factors:

• Facial Anatomy Assessment: We’ll evaluate your facial structure, looking at the size of your buccal fat pads and how they contribute to your overall facial shape. People with naturally narrow faces or those who are older may not be ideal candidates, as buccal fat naturally diminishes with age, and removing it could lead to a hollowed appearance later on. We aim to improve, not detract from, your natural beauty.
• Skin Quality Evaluation: The elasticity and quality of your skin are important considerations. Good skin elasticity helps the skin redrape smoothly over the newly contoured cheeks.
• Stable Body Weight: Ideal candidates are typically close to their ideal weight and maintain a stable weight. Significant weight fluctuations after surgery can affect the results; for instance, weight gain can conceal the results, while substantial weight loss could potentially lead to an overly hollowed look. It’s best to be at your ideal body weight prior to the procedure.
• Non-Smoker Status: Being a non-smoker is crucial for optimal healing and to minimize complications. Smoking can compromise blood flow and increase risks during and after surgery.
• Realistic Expectations: We want you to be thrilled with your results, which is why realistic expectations are key. Our surgeons will ensure you understand what the procedure can and cannot achieve, based on your unique facial structure. Buccal fat removal is a highly individualized procedure.
• Fully Developed Face: We strongly recommend that candidates be at least 18 years old to ensure their face has fully developed. Further facial growth after the procedure could affect the results.
• “Chubby Cheeks” Concern: The primary indicator for candidacy is being genuinely bothered by the appearance of full or “chubby cheeks” that haven’t slimmed down naturally after adulthood or weight loss. This procedure is for you if you desire a more sculpted and defined facial appearance. For more information on who makes a good candidate, please visit Who is a good candidate for buccal fat removal?.

The Role of Digital and Computer Imaging

At Ideal Face & Body, we accept advanced technology to improve your understanding and comfort during the planning phase. Digital imaging and computer imaging play a significant role in your buccal fat removal consultation:

• Digital Photography: High-quality digital photographs of your face are taken from various angles. These serve as a baseline and are crucial for detailed analysis.
• Facial Feature Analysis: Our surgeons use these digital images to carefully analyze your facial features and balance. This helps us understand how your buccal fat pads contribute to your facial contour and how their reduction will impact your overall appearance. It’s like a scientific approach to art!
• Simulating Potential Results: One of the most exciting aspects of digital imaging is the ability to demonstrate what you might look like following surgery. Computer imaging can simulate potential results, giving you a visual preview of your new, more sculpted cheeks. This allows for a collaborative discussion where you can provide feedback, and our surgeons can fine-tune the proposed changes.
• Visualizing Facial Balance: The goal of buccal fat removal is to achieve a naturally sculpted and slimmer facial appearance that is in harmony with your other features. Digital imaging helps us visualize this balance, ensuring the proposed changes will improve your facial aesthetics without creating an unnatural or overcorrected look.
• Enhancing Patient Understanding: Seeing is believing! These visual tools help you fully grasp the anticipated changes, making you feel one hundred percent comfortable with your treatment plan long before surgery begins. It ensures that your expectations are not just realistic, but also visually confirmed.

Preparing for Your Big Day

A thorough consultation empowers you with knowledge, helping you prepare properly and ensuring a smoother recovery. Being prepared starts with knowing the right questions to ask. We want you to feel confident and ready, not just for the surgery, but for every step of your journey with us.

Preparing for Your Buccal Fat Removal Consultation

Coming prepared to your buccal fat removal consultation can maximize your time with our surgeons and ensure all your concerns are addressed. Here are some actionable steps you can take:

• Reviewing Your Aesthetic Goals: Take some time before your appointment to clearly define what you hope to achieve. What specifically bothers you about your cheeks? What kind of facial contour are you envisioning? The clearer you are, the better our surgeons can understand your desires.
• Writing Down Questions: It’s easy to forget questions once you’re in the room! We encourage you to write down all your questions, no matter how small they seem. This ensures you leave the consultation feeling fully informed.
• Preparing Your Medical History: Gather all relevant medical information, including a list of current and past medications, allergies, previous surgeries, and any chronic health conditions. This information is crucial for assessing your candidacy and planning your procedure safely.
• Arranging Time Off for Recovery: While recovery is generally quick, it’s wise to consider your schedule. Discuss with your family or employer how much time off you might need for the initial recovery phase (typically 2-3 days off work). Planning this in advance can reduce stress.
• Reviewing Buccal Fat Removal Surgery Photos: Spend some time reviewing buccal fat removal surgery photos. This helps you develop reasonable expectations for the results and recovery. For more guidance on preparing, you can consult a Buccal Fat Removal Preparation Guide.

Questions to Ask Your Surgeon

Your buccal fat removal consultation is your opportunity to interview your surgeon and ensure you feel completely confident in their expertise and approach. Here is a list of essential questions you should ask:

• Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery? (This is a crucial credential for us at Ideal Face & Body).
• Were you trained specifically in the field of plastic surgery, and what specific training do you have in buccal fat removal techniques?
• How many years of plastic surgery training have you had, and how many buccal fat removal procedures have you performed?
• Do you have hospital privileges to perform this procedure? If so, at which hospitals in Beverly Hills, CA?
• Is the office-based surgical facility accredited by a nationally- or state-recognized accrediting agency, or is it state-licensed or Medicare-certified? (Our facility in Beverly Hills meets these stringent standards).
• Am I a good candidate for this procedure, and why or why not?
• What will be expected of me to get the best results?
• Where and how will you perform my procedure, and what surgical technique is recommended for me?
• How long of a recovery period can I expect, and what kind of help will I need during my recovery?
• What are the risks and complications associated with my procedure, and how are complications handled?
• How can I expect my buccal fat removal surgery to look over time, especially as I age?
• What are my options if I am dissatisfied with the outcome?
• Can I see before-and-after photos specifically for patients with similar facial structures to mine?
• Can we discuss combining buccal fat removal with other procedures during this consultation?

For a comprehensive list of questions to ask, refer to the Comprehensive list of questions for your plastic surgeon.

Enhancing Your Results: Combining Procedures

During your buccal fat removal consultation, you can explore how to achieve comprehensive facial harmony. Buccal fat removal is often combined with other procedures to improve the overall result, creating a more balanced and refined aesthetic. Our surgeons, Dr. Sarah Yovino and Dr. Justin Yovino, are experts in comprehensive facial contouring and can help you envision the full potential of your change.

Complementary Facial Contouring Options

Sometimes, achieving your ideal facial aesthetic involves more than one procedure. We can discuss how buccal fat removal can synergize with other treatments:

• Facelift: For those seeking more extensive facial rejuvenation, combining buccal fat removal with a facelift can provide a more dramatic and harmonious result, addressing skin laxity and deeper facial folds while refining cheek contours.
• Neck Lift: If you’re concerned about a “double chin” or a less defined jawline and neck, a neck lift can complement buccal fat removal by tightening the skin and muscles in the neck area, creating a smoother transition from the face to the neck.
• Chin Augmentation: Enhancing the projection of the chin can significantly improve facial balance and jawline definition, especially when combined with reduced cheek fullness.
• Jawline Contouring: Buccal fat removal inherently contributes to a more defined jawline, but further contouring can be achieved through techniques like our “Precision Sculpt” awake liposuction of the submental area (under the chin) to remove excess fat, or even jawline fillers, creating a sharper, more chiseled profile.
• Facial Liposuction: For other localized fat deposits in the face, such as under the chin or along the jawline, targeted liposuction can provide additional contouring.
• Fat Grafting to Other Areas: It might seem counterintuitive to remove fat and then add it, but sometimes, to achieve optimal facial balance, we remove buccal fat and then use fat grafting (fat transfer) to add volume to other areas, such as the temples or cheekbones. This can create a more youthful and harmonious contour. While fat grafting results can be long-lasting, typically about 50-70% of the injected fat survives and establishes a blood supply, while the rest is reabsorbed within 3-6 months. Factors like aging and weight fluctuations can still affect the long-term results.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Consultation

Will I get a cost estimate during the consultation?

Yes, after your facial evaluation and a treatment plan is created, you will be provided with a detailed quote for the procedure. Our team at Ideal Face & Body believes in transparent communication regarding all aspects of your treatment.

How do I choose the right surgeon?

Choosing the right surgeon is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. The most important factor is choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in facial procedures. Look for a surgeon who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). ASPS member surgeons meet rigorous standards, including extensive training, comprehensive exams, and performing surgery in accredited facilities. At Ideal Face & Body, both Dr. Sarah Yovino and Dr. Justin Yovino are highly qualified and dedicated to patient safety and exceptional results. To find a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, CA, you can use resources like Find a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, CA.

How long does the consultation take?

A comprehensive buccal fat removal consultation is never rushed; expect it to last between 30 to 60 minutes to ensure all your questions are answered and a thorough evaluation is completed. We dedicate this time to you, ensuring you feel completely heard and informed.

Schedule Your Path to a More Defined You

The buccal fat removal consultation is the most critical step in your journey toward achieving the refined, neat facial contours you desire. It’s your opportunity to gain clarity, build trust, and co-create a surgical plan custom just for you. The expert team at Ideal Face & Body in Beverly Hills, CA, is dedicated to ensuring you feel confident and fully informed, changing your aesthetic goals into reality with precision and care.

View our gallery of buccal fat removal results and schedule your consultation today