Buccal Fat Removal

Submission 9,321

About

Buccal Fat Removal is a form of plastic surgery in which buccal fat pads are removed from one's cheeks. The procedure aims to give the person more pronounced cheekbones and carries significant risks. In December 2022, the trend inspired memes and discussions on social media following a viral photograph of actress Lea Michele who has undergone the cosmetic surgery.

Origin

A buccal fat pad is a fat mass in a person's cheek. Buccal fat removal refers to the surgical removal of the pad, which does not naturally restore, and is typically done to give the patient more pronounced cheekbones.

The procedure did not gain massive public attention until December 2022, soon after several prominent models and actresses underwent the procedure, including Chrissy Teigen and, allegedly, Bella Hadid, Zoe Kravitz, Megan Fox and Lea Michelle.^[1]^[2] On December 10th, 2022, Twitter user @FILLEFATALE tweeted^[3] about the recent popularity of the procedure in Hollywood, describing it as a "pandemic." The tweet gained over 380 retweets and 4,800 likes in ten days (shown below).

On December 12th, Twitter^[4] user @brokebackstan quote tweeted a photograph of actress Lea Michele, writing, "jaw filler and buccal fat removal running through hollywood like tomb raider." The tweet garnered over 3,900 retweets and 85,600 likes in one week (shown below).

Spread

Following the tweet, buccal fat removal became a viral subject of discussions and memes on social media, primarily on Twitter. For example, on December 13th, 2022, Twitter^[5] user @jzux shared a post that received over 6,200 retweets and 105,700 likes in one week (shown below).

In mid-December 2022, the procedure became a subject of jokes and memes on social media. For example, on December 13th, Twitter^[6] user @TinctureDrone posted a joke referencing the They Did Surgery on a Grape meme, with the post gaining over 760 retweets and 11,200 likes in one week (shown below, left). On December 14th, Twitter^[7] user @korysverse posted a meme that received over 3,900 retweets and 49,600 likes (shown below, right).

The trend also spread to TikTok, where several videos about it went viral.^[8]

Pokimane's Video

On January 15th, 2023, streamer Pokimane posted a TikTok^[9] video in which she warned her viewers against doing buccal fat removal, stating that a human face naturally loses fat during a person's 20s. The video gained over 440,000 views and was covered by several news websites, including Dexerto^[10] and Sportskeeda.^[11]

I told myself, "Okay, I might hate that I look like a baby now, but I'll appreciate it when I'm older." […] Please don't feel a need to rush into a procedure just because of a little cute baby fat, okay?