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Has the gene pool has
left you with the gift of a very round or overweight
looking face? Have you been taunted one too many times
with nicknames like "chipmunk cheeks" or "pudge
face"? Have you dieted and exercised until you're
blue and your face still appears fat when you catch
a glimpse in the mirror?
If any of these scenarios sound
familiar, you may be the perfect candidate for a cosmetic
procedure called buccal fat pad excision. Simply put,
a buccal excision or "cheek reduction" removes
the excess fat from your cheeks and ideally, leaves
you with a very natural, more contoured looking mid-face.
Your baby face sheds its' full look and chubby cheeks
become refined.
The buccal fat pad lies beneath
the cheekbone and since it's removed through a tiny
incision inside your mouth (where the upper gum meets
the cheek), there is no visible scar. Technically a
simple and safe procedure, a buccal fat pad excision
has the ability to create a permanently more refined
appearance for those with overly round faces. Generally
taking only an hour, buccal fat excision is performed
on an outpatient basis under a local anesthetic with
IV sedation. It can be performed alone or in combination
with a variety of other facial techniques including
eyelid surgery, face lifts, neck lifts, facial implants
and neck liposuction. Alternatively, it's possible for
the cheek fat to be removed via liposuction.
After your buccal fat pad excision, you should expect
to experience mild to moderate swelling, discomfort
and some difficulty chewing. Generally, you should be
able to return to work within a week and while some
improvement may be seen immediately after your surgery,
the final results (and your new cheeks) may take up
to four months to appear.
Of course all surgeries have risks.
Those associated with buccal fat pad excision are minimal,
but they include asymmetry, a sunken appearance over
time, hematoma, nerve damage and infection. Numbness
may also occur.
And what will it cost to remove
those chipmunk cheeks forever? Expect a range from $1400-$4500
for buccal fat excision. Unfortunately, due to it's
cosmetic nature, insurance won't apply.
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