What Is Buccal Fat Removal? The Viral Beauty Trend, Explained

It seems like every other day brings a bizarre new beauty trend pushed toward women, whether it's the fox eye challenge or messed up veneers from Turkey, or massive celebrities pulling a Face-Off and getting an entirely new face.

But the latest procedure causing a buzz in the plastic surgery community is something called buccal fat removal. Many celebrities are getting it, including Chrissy Teigen, Bella Hadid and Lea Michelle. But what is buccal fat, and why are people removing it? Here's the viral trend, explained.

What Is Buccal Fat Removal?

Having buccal fat is what some may call having chubby cheeks. Some people don't like the idea of having a fuller face, so they undergo surgery that removes the fat in their cheeks. This procedure is permanent and is meant to give you more pronounced cheekbones. In October 2021, Chrissy Teigen took to her Instagram story to share the news about her procedure, and various celebrities followed suit in the consecutive year, resulting in "buccal fat removal" getting its first few viral headlines in December 2022.

Who Got Buccal Fat Removal Done?

People began noticing that various celebrities were looking noticeably gaunt, with sunken cheeks and newly chiseled cheekbones. Everyone remembers Lea Michelle from Glee, whose cheeky wide smile was perhaps her most notable feature. But after she dropped a new selfie where she looked very different, and perhaps way older than she should have, people began to investigate what procedure could be responsible for her changed features. The answer, as many people realized, was the buccal fat removal epidemic that seems to have struck Hollywood stars.

How Did Buccal Fat Removal Become A Meme?

Soon after Lea Michelle's viral photo, people began to mock how many celebrities who have gotten the procedure appear to look. Some people jokingly levied allegations against celebrities they think look like they got the surgery done, while others compared the lot as a whole to various cartoonish images.

For the full history of buccal fat removal, be sure to check out our entry on the slang term here for even more information.