Buccal Fat Removal (Bichectomy)

Bichectomy surgery is performed on men and women who would like to improve their face contour by a more defined and prominent cheekbones. It is only recommended for those over 18 years of age.

Also, it should not be performed on people with thin cheeks, as it can cause negative results. Therefore, the right candidate for bichectomy has a round face with full cheeks.

A buccal fat removal procedure takes about 45 minutes, performed under local anesthesia, sedation or general anesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best anesthesia choice for you.



The surgery starts with the anesthesia administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. After the surgeon will do an incision about a half-inch long, on the inside of the mouth, on the inner portion of your cheek.

The surgeon will remove the the fat pad through those incisions. The last step is closing the incisions. All the incisions will be inside the mouth and it is important not to play with the sutures with the tongue.

Below are some of the things you should need to do in preparing for bichectomy surgery:
 

• Get lab testing or a medical evaluation

• Take certain medications or adjust your current medications

• Stop smoking

• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs or herbal supplements to prevent increased bleeding during and after the operation.

Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to the hospital and to your home afterwards. You will also need an companion to stay with you for at least the first night following surgery.

Before your surgery, you will meet with your healthcare provider. You will discuss with them what you’d like to achieve from surgery, as well as what to expect during and after your procedure.



During this time, your surgeon and her/his team will address any questions you have and explain what to expect during the surgery.

Your surgeon will examine you and take photographs of your face. Hence, you can compare the results with your before photos. He/she will also ask you general questions about your overall health, such as your family health history and any past surgeries you’ve had during your initial examination.

It’s important for you to tell your surgeon about all of your medications, including herbs and supplements. For best outcomes, you may be required to stop smoking prior to surgery.

Bichectomy surgery should be done at a clinic or a hospital.

During your procedure, you can expect the following:

• Firstly, a local anesthetic cream will be applied to numb the skin on your face so you won’t feel any pain. You’ll remain awake during the procedure.

• Your plastic surgeon will make a small incision on the inside of your mouth on both sides of your face to expose the buccal fat pads.

• He/she will press gently on these fat pads to further expose them, then cut and remove them.

• At the end of the procedure, your surgeon will close the incisions with sutures. Often, the sutures are dissolvable. Therefore you won’t need to come back to get them removed.

After bichectomy surgery, your surgeon will explain how to care for your incisions. You will use a special mouth rinse to help with healing and prevent infection.

You’ll be on a liquid diet for a day or two while your incisions start to heal. You can add soft foods to your diet gradually.



Some things you can expect after surgery:

• Swelling.

• Bruising.

• Numbness at the incision sites.

These should gradually fade as your body heals. Healing time is usually about three weeks. It will take several months before you will see the final results.

Bichectomy surgery cost fluctuates within $4000-5000 and reaches up to $8,000-10,000 in the UK or the USA. You can have this surgery at a lower price in the Eastern European countries, including Turkey, or South America countries such as Mexico.

Healing from bichectomy surgery usually takes between 4-6 weeks. Many patients have no visible bruising during and after recovery.



Since the incision is made inside of the cheek, you won't have any visible incisions or scarring during and after the healing process. The final outcomes will be visible after 3 or 4 weeks at most.

Bichectomy surgery results are permanent so it is important to keep in mind that the individuals with thin features must avoid getting under cheek reduction surgery.

Pros
 

• Bichectomy surgery provides a slimmer face with more defined cheeks,

• Since the incisions are hidden inside the mouth there will be no visible scarring after cheek fat removal surgery,

• As we mentioned the results are permanent and as the fat cells removed you will never gain weight to the face.

• Performing Hollywood cheek is a comfortable surgery with short downtime and fast recovery period.

Cons
 

• After cheek fat removal surgery for a couple of weeks there will be swelling. This is the normal period of the healing and the individuals has to be patient for the final results.

• As taking age the buccal fat pads naturally shrink. This is the main fact that the individuals has to consider.

• There may be asymmetric problems.

• Rare but possible risks includes; during the surgery the salivary ducts may get hurt, hemorrhaging, and facial-nerve damage.

• In time as the individual looses weight or get aged the face may look overly gaunt.

Buccal Fat Removal also known as Hollywood cheek is relatively a risk-free, short-term, simple procedure with satisfactory results.



The complication risk is very low but as with any surgery, there’s a risk of infection and bleeding. Rare but possible risks are; tissue trauma, hemorrhaging, trismus and facial-nerve damage. These side effects and risks are usually temporary but in some cases it can be permanent.

Bichectomy surgery is recommended to be performed in winter and spring. Since it is a surgical intervention performed directly on the face area, it is not recommended to be done in the summer months when hot weather starts.

Because, being exposed to the sun directly after the surgery both causes delayed healing and increases complications such as swelling and edema.

Considering all these, it would be better to have bichectomy surgery in winter and autumn for a more comfortable recovery process. You can plan your surgery process accordingly.

When you take a bichectomy surgery in Europe, you have to pay a number of additional costs. But getting your buccal fat removal surgery in Istanbul you may get an all inclusive package prepared for the foreign visitors which means there will be no extra fees for your treatment.

Most of the all inclusive packages includes all the treatment fees, accommodation, transfers, transportation, and consultation. (flights are excluded) In İstanbul buccal fat removal costs are performed between $1,700 - $5000.

Bichectomy surgery is performed under a type of anesthesia. As the cheeks are fully numb from the anesthesia, the individuals will not feel any pain.



After the surgery the individuals may experience pain and discomfort that can be controlled by pain medications. It is recommended to apply ice after the surgery to reduce swelling and pain.

Yes, you can brush your teeth after buccal fat removal but you must pay attention to incision areas. The individuals has to brush their teeth genty and must not rinse the mouth.

Yes, Buccal Fat Removal results are permanent, even if you gain weight.

Most of the individuals who've had buccal fat removal surgery says it is "Worth It".