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 San Jose clinics below and request a free consultation.
$2,500–$6,000
per procedure · USD
A general range for San Jose, rounded for guidance. Confirm exact pricing with each clinic.
Plastic surgeons in San Jose who list buccal fat removal among their procedures. Tap any surgeon to view details and request a consultation.
San Jose
Financing available
CA Aesthetics: Bay Area Plastic Surgery Eric Li, MD is a plastic surgery practice in San Jose, California, rated 4.8 stars across 189 Google reviews, performing 25 tracked procedures.
San Jose
Financing available
Korman Plastic Surgery & Wunderbar MedSpa is a plastic surgery practice in San Jose, California, rated 4.8 stars across 108 Google reviews, performing 23 tracked procedures.
San Jose
Financing available
Illuminate Plastic Surgery - San Jose is a plastic surgery practice in San Jose, California, rated 4.9 stars across 45 Google reviews, performing 26 tracked procedures.
San Jose
Financing available
Lisa Hwang, MD | Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgery practice in San Jose, California, rated 5 stars across 38 Google reviews, performing 16 tracked procedures.
San Jose
Financing available
Illuminate Plastic Surgery - Palo Alto is a plastic surgery practice in San Jose, California, rated 4.5 stars across 48 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
5 plastic surgery practices in the San Jose area list buccal fat removal. From Google Places listings; hours and locations change, so confirm with the practice.
What 4 San Jose practices that list buccal fat removal say on their own websites (checked September 2026); one that does not mention something may still offer it, so ask at your consultation.
Buccal fat removal is a minor procedure that takes about 30 minutes and can be performed under local anesthesia.
Buccal Fat Removal generally runs $2,500–$6,000 per procedure, and each San Jose 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 San Jose clinics for a personalized quote.
Initial results in 2–4 weeks, with full results developing over 3 months as collagen builds. San Jose providers typically schedule follow-ups to track progress.
Most patients wait 24 hours before applying makeup to avoid irritation on freshly-treated skin.
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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