A short procedure that removes the buccal fat pad from the lower cheek to create a more sculpted, hollowed look, and the operation most likely to be regretted if done at the wrong age. Compare Raleigh clinics below and request a free consultation.
$2,500–$6,000
per procedure · USD
A general range for Raleigh, rounded for guidance. Confirm exact pricing with each clinic.
Only one plastic surgeon in Raleigh lists buccal fat removal among their procedures. Here they are, with a link to every surgeon in the city.
Raleigh
Financing available
North Raleigh Plastic Surgery: Juan A. Ortiz, MD, FACS is a plastic surgery practice in Raleigh, North Carolina, rated 4.9 stars across 163 Google reviews, performing 26 tracked procedures.
A short procedure that removes the buccal fat pad from the lower cheek to create a more sculpted, hollowed look, and the operation most likely to be regretted if done at the wrong age.
One procedure, permanent and not reversible
3 to 7 days of visible swelling, final result at 3 to 6 months
Adults typically over 25 with genuinely full lower cheeks that have persisted at a stable, healthy weight, who understand the change is permanent
Buccal Fat Removal generally runs $2,500–$6,000 per procedure, and each Raleigh clinic sets its own price. The biggest variables are the provider's experience level and the specific device or product used. Newer technology and senior injectors price at the upper end. Pricing is quoted in US dollars (USD). Request a consultation from any of our listed Raleigh clinics for a personalized quote.
Initial results in 2–4 weeks, with full results developing over 3 months as collagen builds. Raleigh providers typically schedule follow-ups to track progress.
Maintenance schedules vary. Most Raleigh providers recommend periodic refresh sessions every 6–12 months once optimal results are achieved.
It is a distinct, encapsulated pad of fat sitting in the hollow of your cheek, separate from the fat layer just under the skin. It is not the same thing as general facial fullness or weight. Removing it narrows the lower cheek specifically. Because it is a discrete structure, the result is predictable, and because it does not grow back, the result is permanent.
Faces lose volume with age, naturally and progressively. Fullness in your twenties often becomes hollowness in your forties without any surgery at all. Removing the buccal fat pad accelerates that trajectory permanently, and a result that looks sculpted at 25 can look gaunt at 45. Many surgeons decline to perform it on younger patients for exactly this reason, and that refusal is good judgment rather than lost business.
Not really. The pad cannot be put back. Volume can be restored with fillers or fat grafting, which means ongoing cost and maintenance for the rest of your life to replace something you paid to have removed. Treat this as a permanent decision, because functionally it is.
Nationally, $2,500 to $6,000, which makes it one of the least expensive procedures on this list. That affordability, combined with heavy social media promotion, is part of why it is so frequently performed on people who are poor candidates. Low cost is not a reason to have an irreversible operation.
Someone with true buccal fat pad prominence, meaning full lower cheeks that persist even at a stable healthy weight, who is old enough that their facial fat distribution has settled, generally mid-twenties and beyond, and who understands the aging trajectory. Someone who simply wants a more contoured face and has seen it online is usually better served by makeup, weight stability, or nothing at all.
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