No. DIY buccal fat removal isn’t possible, and no exercise, massage or tool can remove or shrink this deep cheek fat pad. Makeup contour can create the look of a hollow below the cheekbone for a day. Lasting change needs a medical assessment, because full cheeks often come from the jaw muscle or overall weight instead.
This guide is part of our buccal fat removal overview. It explains which home methods help with the look of full cheeks and which are myths.
Short answer
The buccal fat pad sits deep between the cheekbone and jaw, so nothing applied to or rubbed on the skin can take it out.
An American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US) article places buccal fat between the cheekbone and jawbone. Surgeons reach it through a small cut inside the mouth. Home methods work on the skin, the muscles or the light falling on your face, not on this pad. Any tool, cream or online kit promising to remove it at home deserves suspicion, and cutting or injecting yourself risks infection and nerve injury.
| Method | Real effect | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Facial exercises | No proven fat loss; one study suggests fuller cheeks | Small, uncontrolled study |
| Massage, rollers, gua sha | Brief reduction in puffiness at most | No studies on buccal fat found |
| Makeup contour | Visual hollow for the day | Optical effect, no studies needed |
| Overall weight loss | Can slim the face, sometimes too much | Surgeon reports |
| Toxin for the jaw muscle | Slims the jaw angle if the muscle is bulky | Medical treatment, not DIY |
Exercises and massage
Buccal fat removal massage and cheek exercises can’t burn fat in one spot; the only trial of facial exercise showed fuller cheeks.
A 2018 study in JAMA Dermatology followed women aged 40 to 65 who did 30 minutes of facial exercises daily for eight weeks, then on alternate days up to week 20. Of 27 who enrolled, 16 finished. Raters judged upper and lower cheek fullness to have improved, and estimated age fell from 50.8 to 48.1 years. The study had no control group, and a co-author founded the exercise program, so treat it with caution.
For someone hoping for slimmer cheeks, that result points the wrong way: exercises may build the cheek muscles slightly, not shrink fat. Massage, jade rollers and gua sha can move fluid and briefly reduce morning puffiness. We found no study showing any effect on buccal fat. In my practice, patients who tried months of cheek exercises usually notice no change in fullness, and some find their faces look rounder.
Makeup contour
Buccal fat removal makeup uses shadow below the cheekbone and highlight above it to fake a hollow, with no risk and no permanence.
- Suck in your cheeks lightly to find the natural hollow below the cheekbone.
- Apply a matte contour shade one or two tones darker than your skin along that hollow, from near the ear towards the corner of the mouth, stopping about level with the outer eye.
- Blend upwards so there’s no hard line.
- Add highlighter on the top of the cheekbone to deepen the contrast.
- Check in daylight; contour that looks right indoors can look heavy outside.
Makeup copies the look that surgery aims for, so it’s a free way to test whether you’d even like slimmer cheeks. If you do, the next step is finding out what causes the fullness.
When to see a doctor
Fullness that sits over the jaw angle and firms up when you clench usually comes from the chewing muscle. A surgeon quoted by ASPS suggested toxin for an overactive jaw muscle as an alternative to surgery. Weight changes the face too: another ASPS article links rapid weight loss, including from weight-loss medicines, to a hollow face. Faces also lose fat with age, which is why surgeons warn against removing too much. Our buccal fat removal before and after guide shows realistic surgical results.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
Answers on buccal fat removal exercises, massage, weight loss and why home kits for removing cheek fat are unsafe.
Do buccal fat removal exercises work?
There’s no evidence they shrink buccal fat. You can’t burn fat in one spot by exercising nearby muscles. The only published trial of facial exercise reported fuller cheeks after 20 weeks, which is the opposite of what most people want here.
Can massage or gua sha reduce buccal fat?
Massage and rollers may briefly reduce puffiness by moving fluid, especially in the morning. They don’t reach or reduce the deep fat pad. Any slimmer look fades within hours. Be gentle, because hard pressure can bruise the skin.
Will losing weight slim my cheeks?
Often, if your face is full because of overall body fat. Surgeons ask for a stable weight before buccal fat removal for this reason. Rapid weight loss can also make the face look hollow and older, so slow, steady change is kinder to the face.
Are home buccal fat removal kits safe?
No. Removing buccal fat is surgery inside the mouth near the saliva duct and facial nerve branches. Attempting it at home, or using injections bought online, risks infection, bleeding and nerve damage. Get any fat-reducing treatment from a qualified doctor.
If you’d like to know what’s behind your full cheeks, you can book a consultation with Metropole Clinic by ABmedi. For surgery costs and risks, return to the buccal fat removal hub.
This article is for general education and does not replace a personal medical consultation.
References
Show sources
- Alam M, et al. Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging. JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(3):365-367. jamanetwork.com
- Willson A. Facial fat: The good, the bad and the confusing. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, US). 2024. plasticsurgery.org
- Shacknai G. Facial fat is precious: Why your plastic surgeon shouldn’t be too aggressive with buccal fat removal. ASPS. 2021. plasticsurgery.org
- Frankeny A. Hollow cheeks: A focus on buccal fat removal. ASPS. 2024. plasticsurgery.org
- Moura LB, Spin JR, Spin-Neto R, Pereira-Filho VA. Buccal fat pad removal to improve facial aesthetics: an established technique? Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2018;23(4):e478-e484. repositorio.unesp.br
