Facial Fat Removal – Can It Be Done With Liposuction?
The face is an area of the body where the use of liposuction for fat removal is largely more theoretical than practical. While the face is certainly full of fat (some more than others), its fat locations cannot be easily accessed and removed as is done elsewhere. Facial fat is more fibrous and more difficult to suck out. In addition, there are numerous branches of the facial nerve and they present a risk of injury. Outside of the neck (if you consider this part of the face) and the buccal fat pad, most other areas of facial fat cannot be removed by liposuction.
The neck can be liposuctioned while the buccal fat pad can be removed directly through a small open incision. Removal of any other areas of facial fat through liposuction is not only ineffective, but can also cause extensive tissue trauma and prolonged inflammation.
When liposuction first became widely used in the 1980s and 1990s, facial liposuction was widely advocated and written about. It was used to try to reduce facial fullness on the lateral face and even reduce the prominent mound of tissue that develops above the nasolabial fold with aging. It was shown to be ineffective and has since been largely abandoned as a treatment for facial fullness.
For those looking to reduce their ‘oily’ face or to frame their facial appearance, liposuction is not the answer. It just can’t do what can be done by thigh or waist circumference. One cannot deflate the face so to speak.
Improving the shape of a very full and round face includes removing some of the fat that is accessible, such as buccal and neck fat. But fat removal alone is inadequate as it can only change part of the contour. If a full neck is all that’s bothering someone, then liposuction alone is a good treatment. But for more total facial sculpting and definition creation, it should be combined with other procedures that enhance or enhance facial prominences, such as the chin, cheeks, or jaw angles. The use of implants in these areas of facial convexity can help shape an otherwise amorphous round face.
