What are the steps of a buccal fat removal surgery procedure?

Buccal fat pad removal surgery can be performed with local anesthesia in the office or in a surgery center under general anesthesia or sedation.
If in a surgery center an IV will be inserted into one of your veins.
Medications are administered through this IV for your comfort during the surgical procedure.
A breathing tube may be placed but not always.
If performed in the office your plastic surgeon will inject a local anesthetic into the inside of your cheek to numb the area. You will be awake for the entire procedure but will not feel anything.
A bite block is placed in your mouth to help keep it open.

Incisions are made in the mouth in the inner cheek at the level where your upper and lower teeth meet. The fat is identified and teased out slowly. Using electrocautery the fat is transected and any bleeding vessels are coagulated. The incision is then sutured closed with absorbable sutures.

You and your doctor will decide which is the best choice for you.