Wherefore Art Thou Buccal Fat?

Are celebrities also on Zoom staring at their faces all day? I’d like to think fame frees you from that particular prison, but maybe not. I honestly don’t know exactly why the surgery has risen in popularity amongst celebrities, but my best guess is that it correlates with the overall slim-down we’ve witnessed in Hollywood in the past year.

Who’s had it?

Officially? Chrissy Teigen is the only celeb to have openly admitted to buccal fat removal. Most celebrities don’t seem to be chomping at the bit to let us know the extent to which they surgically alter their body and face. But that’s never stopped Instagram accounts dedicated to plastic surgery speculation, or us plebes who are overly familiar with the ever-evolving contours of famous people’s faces, to make reasonable guesses about who’s bid their buccal fat adieu.

In the days since Michele’s buccal-less pout post, social media has named Zoe Kravitz, Megan Fox, Margot Robbie, Eiza González, Bella Hadid, Angelina Jolie, and Demi Moore as just a few of the celebrities who appear to have undergone the procedure. Dr. Pakemen said that Kim Kardashian and Hadid are the most-referenced faces when he’s consulting with patients on buccal fat surgery.

Personally, ever since seeing Michele’s selfie, I can’t stop wondering whether or not a surgery like this would affect one’s voice? It seems like altering the shape and thickness of the mouth would be difficult for someone belting on Broadway eight times a week.

Of course, we don’t know for sure why Michele’s or Kravitz’s cheeks have all of a sudden gone missing in action. There’s always the possibility that there’s a Bling Ring-style cheek-fat heist pillaging the faces of the famous and beautiful right now. It’s only a matter of time before Gal Gadot sets up her front-facing camera and calls up some buddies to sing Fred Astaire’s “Cheek to Cheek” in memory of the face fat that once was.

Does it hurt and cost a lot?

In my research, I learned that surgeons use local anesthesia for buccal fat removal, and the patient remains awake while their fat pads are cut from their face. It’s surgery and a show—all for the cost of what could be a gorgeous luxury vacation (about $5,000).

How do y

Thank you so much for asking. I understand the societal pressures people (especially women and femmes) face to achieve certain aesthetics. I also understand the benefits and privileges that come from achieving those aesthetics. But for personal and political reasons, I’ve chosen to not step on the never-ending, ever-speeding-up carousel ride that is cosmetic procedures.

I was particularly overwhelmed while reading through the buccal fat removal subreddit and seeing a number of posts from women in their 50s lamenting the natural loss of plumpness in their faces that comes from the least invasive procedure of all: the passage of time. One wrote that facial fat “becomes so rare and precious as you age” and that she “can’t even imagine how old [she’d] look if [she’d] also had fat removed from [her] face.”

So, to answer your question: I’m cynical about the fact that younger women are surgically removing the fat in their faces, only to plump them back up with fillers 20 years down the line. It’s a losing game.

Wow, inspiring

Thank you. If you want a copywriter for a motivational poster wary of the physical and psychological effects of plastic surgery, I’m your girl.

Editor’s note: Jezebel cannot confirm nor deny that any of the celebrities pictured and/or mentioned have had their buccal fat removed.