Chubby cheeks be gone!
YOU South Africa|2 February 2023
The latest cosmetic surgery trend is buccal-fat removal, but experts say the chiselled look doesn't age well
By Maxine Peters
Chubby cheeks be gone!

A little lipo here, a nip and a tuck there, a Brazilian butt lift to perk up your posterior, a dimple to sparkle up your smile, a blast of Botox to freeze your frown . . .

These days there’s practically nothing you can’t do if you want to improve what nature gave you – provided you have the bucks in the bank, of course.

And who do we usually have to thank for turning a cosmetic-enhancement trick into a trend? Celebs, that’s who – and right now the trend everyone is talking about is buccal-fat removal: a procedure that strips your cheek of chub and gives you the chisel of an Angelina Jolie.

Buccal-fat removal isn’t new and is believed to have been done for the first time in the ’30s – but interest has spiked recently thanks to the likes of TV presenter Chrissy Teigen, reality TV star Khloé Kardashian, Glee actress Lea Michele and model Bella Hadid.

Chrissy (37) admits she had the job done to slim down her face. “I did that buccal-fat removal thing here,” she said in a video on social media, pointing to her cheekbones. “And since I quit drinking, I’m really seeing the results and I like it.”

Neither Lea (36) nor Bella (26) has addressed the issue but they’re leading the list of celebrities rumoured to have had it done – with actresses Zoë Kravitz (34) and Sophie Turner (26) also looking more defined in the cheek department.

Buccal-fat removal has been trending on TikTok and Instagram and is “running through Hollywood like Tomb Raider”, one social media user says.

This story is from the 2 February 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.

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This story is from the 2 February 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.

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