Buccal Fat Removal and Facial Contouring Surgery: Another Way to Design the Flow of the Face at Rita Plastic Surgery Seoul Branch

Hello.

I’m Director Lee Seong-jun of Rita Plastic Surgery Seoul Branch.

As the end of the year approaches, people

give themselves a gift

as a reward for a year’s hard work.

Over the past few years,

this trend of “reward consumption”

has changed noticeably.

In the past, consumption focused mainly on

external purchases such as luxury bags or travel,

but now the direction has shifted toward

care for “myself,”

especially facial contouring or lifting procedures.

The reason is not simply a change

in appearance.

Rather, it is because the desire to feel

more comfortable with one’s own face

every time one looks in the mirror

has grown stronger.

With this psychological motivation,

interest has recently increased in soft-tissue-focused procedures

such as buccal fat removal and facial contouring surgery.

This interest is leading people toward

choosing a path that seeks

“natural refinement” rather than excessive change.

In the end, changes to the face are

less about “creating something new”

and more about

restoring a harmonious balance by

reorganizing a disrupted line.

Today, let’s look specifically at

how that balance can be designed.

📙 Table of Contents
​1. Facial contours are made of ‘soft tissue,’ not bone​2. Mini contouring: an approach that addresses structure without incisions​3. Three-step mini contouring design tailored to face shape​4. The approach of buccal fat removal and mini contouring​5. Differences from facial contouring surgery​6. The key to facial impression is ‘harmony’​

1. Facial contours are made of 'soft tissue,' not bone

The factors that determine the shape of the face

are more varied than you might think.

Not only visible structures such as the cheekbones,

jawline, and double chin,

but also the fat layer,

SMAS layer,

and ligaments beneath them subtly determine the facial line.

The reason buccal fat removal is meaningful here is that

the deep fat layer in the cheeks affects

the volume of the lower face.

If there is too much fat in this area,

it can make the tissue beside the lips appear to sag,

and the area below the mouth may look heavily dropped.

Therefore, depending on a person’s facial shape,

adjusting or refining that fat may be considered.

This kind of soft-tissue adjustment is not simply about

“removing” fat,

but can be seen as a process of

looking at the overall facial structure

and reorganizing the position and flow between tissues.

At this point, even without shaving bone,

the impression of the facial line can change.

This approach can be distinguished from bone-focused surgery

such as facial contouring surgery,

and can be described as a soft-tissue-centered surgical method.

2. Mini contouring: an approach that addresses structure without incisions

Mini contouring was designed as

“refining facial structure without incisions.”

The core idea is a structure-centered approach that considers

the balance of three layers:

the SMAS, fat, and soft tissue,

without addressing the bone.

This surgery is divided into three flows:

① adjusting the volume of the fat layer,

② fixing and repositioning the SMAS layer,

③ improving the elasticity of the skin surface.

In other words, it is a method that understands

the interaction of the different layers that make up the face

and refines each layer accordingly.

Unlike fat removal or thread lifting,

this approach differs in that it is designed

based on the structure of the tissues that make up the face.

This concept of addressing facial structure

layer by layer

can be designed step by step according to

an individual’s face shape.

※ The patients above are clients who had surgery at Rita, and we inform you that the photos are used with consent.

※ The above cases may vary in results depending on each individual’s condition, and the recovery process and degree of change may differ from person to person.

Also, because it is designed not to place a large burden on recovery,

it is known to allow a relatively faster return to daily life

than lifting surgery.

However, recovery speed and swelling may vary

depending on the individual’s constitution and lifestyle habits.

3. Three-step mini contouring design tailored to face shape

Step 1. Mini contouring (standalone)

Improves the overall facial line by removing soft tissue from the cheekbones,

buccal fat, and under the chin

Step 2. Mini contouring + upper jawline reinforcement

Reinforces the cheeks and jawline with SMAS fixation

to focus on improving sagging cheeks and the jawline

Step 3. Mini contouring + lower jawline reinforcement

Reinforces the double chin line with SMAS fixation

to improve the angle where the neck and jaw meet

This process is a concept of redesigning

the soft tissue that creates the three-dimensional flow of the face

without bone resection,

and whether each step is applied, or how strongly it is applied,

is determined differently depending on

the person’s facial structure and tissue elasticity.

In this process of designing facial contours step by step,

if lower-face volume adjustment is needed,

buccal fat removal may also be considered.

4. The approach of buccal fat removal and mini contouring

Buccal fat removal is a procedure that addresses

the fat layer in the lower face,

while mini contouring is an approach that reorganizes

the soft tissue and SMAS structure above it.

Because these approaches address different layers,

they may be considered together if needed.

※ The patients above are clients who had surgery at Rita, and we inform you that the photos are used with consent.

※ The above cases may vary in results depending on each individual’s condition, and the recovery process and degree of change may differ from person to person.

For example, if the cheeks are overly developed

and the jawline looks unclear,

the sequence of refining the buccal fat

and then stabilizing the SMAS layer with mini contouring

may be considered.

This kind of step-by-step approach prioritizes natural harmony

over results.

It is designed as a process of understanding

the face’s original structure

and adjusting the three-dimensional flow accordingly.

This soft-tissue-centered approach

goes through a process different from the existing

bone-centered contour surgery approach.

5. Differences from facial contouring surgery

Facial contouring surgery is a surgical procedure

that directly addresses the shape of the bone.

In contrast, mini contouring

approaches the soft tissue without cutting bone.

In other words, the two methods have different purposes.

One changes the structural bone frame,

while the other rearranges the soft tissue above it

to create a natural flow in the facial contour.

Also, among those who have already had

facial contouring surgery,

if soft-tissue sagging becomes noticeable over time,

mini contouring may be considered as a supplement.

Here too, the direction of the design changes

depending on the individual’s tissue condition

and elasticity,

and the appropriate judgment is determined through consultation with a specialist.

Although the approaches are different,

both surgeries are ultimately connected in that

they aim for a harmonious facial impression.

6. The key to facial impression is 'harmony'

When many people think of contour surgery,

they picture “shaving.”

But the recent approach to mini contouring

is being designed to be closer to “refining”

than to “removing.”

The impression of the face changes less from what is taken away,

and more from how the position and relationship

of each tissue are reorganized.

Mini contouring is differentiated precisely in this respect.

Rather than bone resection,

it is a structure-centered method that considers

three layers together:

the SMAS, fat, and soft tissue.

If facial contouring surgery deals with

the large frame of the face,

mini contouring is closer to coordinating

the structure that surrounds it.

Both approaches are among the many ways

to create a harmonious facial impression,

and the criteria for choosing them may differ

depending on each person’s situation.

I hope you become more naturally youthful

tomorrow than today,

and today than yesterday.

This was Director Lee Seong-jun

of Seoul Rita Plastic Surgery.

This post is

content intended to provide general information

about facial contouring surgery.

Whether surgery is actually performed

should be determined according to the individual’s health condition

and purpose,

and should be judged through consultation with a medical professional.

If you would like more details,

please check the YouTube link below

for more detailed information.

https://youtube.com/shorts/52u18Q1wouU?si=iGWttaicqLIwsNkj