How Can I Make My Face Thinner?

Q: I am interested in making my face look thinner. Even though I am not fat (below the neck), my face makes me look like I  am. I have read about the buccal lipectomy procedure and that seems like it would work for me. I am most interested in getting the lower part of my face thinner. Thank you for your help!

A: To treat the soft tissue facial triangle area (lines drawn between the cheek, chin and jaw angles), the procedures of buccal lipectomies and perioral mound liposuction may be useful for ‘facial derounding’.  It is important to realize that these procedures are most effective for the areas below the cheek down to about the mouth level and not for fullness at the jaw angle or in the lower part of the face. Facial defatting procedures work best in areas that are not directly supported by bone where the fullness is more the result of the thickness of the fat and not the bone. A buccal lipectomy removes a very distinct large ball of fat that sits right below the cheek bone. It is done from a small incision inside the mouth. It is important to not totally remove it so one does not get a gaunt look later in life. But for someone with a really round ‘fat’ face this potential issue may be irrelevant. The perioral liposuction procedure removes fat from below the buccal fat pad that sits right under the skin opposite the mouth. It is done from a small incision inside the mouth. Done together these two distinctly different facial fat removal procedures can help create a facial thinning effect.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana