Buccal Fat

Your face can acquire that youthful, inverted triangle shape through Buccal Fat Removal in Salisbury

To fully appreciate the benefits of buccal fat removal, it helps to understand how the face changes with age. In youth, the face naturally has an attractive inverted triangular shape—fuller through the cheeks and gradually narrowing toward the jawline.

Over the passage of time the skin loses elasticity and the deep supporting facial tissues relax, both of which allow the buccal fat in the lower face to bulge. These changes create fullness in the lower cheeks and jowls, causing the youthful, inverted triangle contour to gradually transform to a heavier, more rectangular facial shape.

Aging is not the only cause of losing that triangular contour. Excessive use of facial fillers in lower face can also contribute to this “overfilled” or square appearance that many women hope to avoid. We believe patients of Peninsula Plastic Surgery are protected from this complication. At Peninsula Plastic Surgery, our nurse-practitioners and physician-assistants injectors perform facial filler injections under the continuous guidance and ongoing supervision of our plastic surgeons. This collaborative approach helps them achieve natural-looking facial rejuvenation while minimizing the risk of an overfilled appearance.

Just as important, our injectors understand the limits of injectables. When they recognize the surgery is the better option, in our practice you won’t be pushed in the wrong direction. Our plastic surgeons are right here, ready to step in and guide you through the surgical approach.

For carefully selected patients, removing a portion or all of the buccal fat pad during a facelift can help restore youthful facial proportions. By reducing excess volume in the lower cheeks, buccal fat removal enhances the jawline, refines facial contours, and recreates the attractive inverted triangular shape associated with youth. Because every face is unique, buccal fat removal is performed selectively and only when it will improve the final result.

Drs. Perrotta and Kerestes typically perform buccal fat removal as part of a facelift rather than as a standalone procedure. Once the facial skin and the deeper SMAS layer have been elevated, the buccal fat pad is easily accessible. A carefully measured portion of the fat is gently removed, producing a slimmer lower face while preserving a natural, balanced appearance.

The main advantage of removing buccal fat during a facelift is the avoidance of additional incisions. The only incisions Dr. Perrotta or Dr. Kerestes will make are those already placed for the facelift. There will be no incisions or wounds to heal inside the oral cavity.

Buccal fat removal is not appropriate for everyone. Patients with naturally thin faces or insufficient lower cheek volume may not benefit from the procedure. Also, buccal fat removal should be avoided in younger patients because, in time, some individuals naturally lose volume in their lower face. For them, removal of buccal fat in early age could result in the gaunt look in later years.

During your consultation, Dr. Perrotta or Kerestes will determine whether buccal fat removal would enhance your facelift results and help you achieve a more youthful, refined facial contour.

In the video below, Dr. Perrotta demonstrates why he and Dr. Kerestes prefer to remove buccal fat during a facelift.