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*Samira has written a blog about her experience with buccal fat removal at Skin + Surgery. She is happy to share why she chose this procedure and what recovery has been like for her. However, everyone is unique and experiences the procedure differently, Samira's story is an example of what recovery can be like. How you might experience buccal fat removal treatment, we cannot predict exactly beforehand. Therefore, always be well informed during a personal consultation so that you can ask your questions and make an informed choice.
As a young girl, I have always had a round face with those sweet hamster cheeks that anyone could squeeze well. On little girls, it's definitely endearing too! Only, as I got older, I noticed that those same chubby cheeks that look super cute on young girls looked fattening on me as a young woman. As an adolescent, I couldn't have it at all. I thought my cheeks were awful and I was even talked to about it! Never in a negative way fortunately, but at some point you have heard often enough that you have those 'sweet chubby hamster cheeks'! My solution to my hamster cheeks problem was buccal fat removal at Skin + Surgery
I knew what I had to do! Exercise, exercise and exercise again! If I lose enough weight, I will also get rid of those chubby cheeks and then I will feel good in my own skin, I thought. Working out certainly felt good and it was what my body needed. As my endorphin levels rose, the numbers on the scales dropped and I was soulful. I noticed it in my whole body, I felt good! Only those hamster cheeks remained stubbornly persistent. There is a limit to where losing weight is healthy and I didn't want to cross it. But now my cheeks were bothering me even more! I am now beautifully slim, but my face is just as round as before. It looked like the wrong head had been stuck on the wrong body. Little did I know then that hamster cheeks are genetic, so losing weight was not the solution.
I'm sure of a lot of things, but those hamster cheeks of mine kept gnawing at me (or lingering I should say). My mother, grandmother and aunts all have the same cheeks. So I already had a mirror in front of me clearly depicting the next 40 years and what my hamster cheeks would look like. "No way!", I thought. I had to and would find something that could fix this hamster cheeks problem of mine. That also happened to be the time when Bella Hadid was everywhere and so was on my Instagram timeline. Her before and after pictures didn't lie. She was a beautiful woman in her 'before' pictures that's for sure, but in her 'after' pictures? That was a goddess!
I now knew it could be done! Bella had bulging cheeks when she was stick thin, so weight loss could not have been the reason for her drastic change. I went to research and found out that there are several ways to remove hamster cheeks. The first was fillers. Highlighting the cheekbones creates more contour in the face, making the hamster cheeks more in harmony with the rest of the face. In theory, it's a great idea! The downside: fillers dissolve after 12 months. I didn't want to do a touch-up every 12 months. I am a student and knew this would become too expensive at some point, especially if I wanted to continue with it for the rest of my life.
The second option is buccal fat removal. In buccal fat removal, the fat pads in the lower cheek are removed, leaving the cavity 'empty'. The cheeks merge with the cavity and therefore no longer lie 'on' the fat, as there is no more fat. The result? A face with tighter contours and no hamster cheeks! Best of all, the results are permanent. The treatment does cost more than a filler treatment, but in the long run I would come out cheaper with this permanent result. When I saw the photos on skin-surgery.co.uk, my mind was made up.
In my culture, plastic surgery is 'not done'. "You are made that way by God and that's perfect," my mother always says. I never thought I would ever do it myself. But I wanted change. I knew what I didn't like about myself and I finally had a solution! Plastic surgery is ultimately only there so that people can feel good about themselves. There is nothing wrong with that and anyone who doesn't see it that way should never have to undergo treatment!
I just didn't want to advertise it (secretly I contribute to the stigma myself I now notice). That is why I was extremely happy when I heard from Doctor Thanya that most people can return to work the very day after buccal fat removal. No one can see that you have had treatment because the incisions are made in the mouth. The only thing that can make it known that you've had the treatment is that your hamster cheeks are a lot rounder the days after the surgery because of the swelling. It looks like you've had a good dentist shake! This subsides after a few days and after two weeks you already have a nice result. Everything fell into place and after my consultation, I scheduled the treatment with Dr Thanya.
When the day arrived, I was nervous and happy at the same time. Doctor Thanya had made a 3D model of what it would roughly look like during our first meeting. I couldn't wait to look like the woman she showed me then. Once I arrived, I was kindly received by the receptionist. I work picked up by Dr Thanya and together we went through the process of buccal fat removal one more time. This was my first treatment and I was secretly a little apprehensive. Doctor Thanya and her colleague put me at ease and were immensely friendly and most importantly, honest.
I was given some pills to swallow for the pain, an apron on, and a hair net on. I was ready for the treatment. First, I was given local anaesthesia. Once that kicked in, the process of buccal fat removal began. I felt nothing from the incision, all I felt was a tugging sensation at my temple. Doctor Thanya explained that this is more common as she gently pulls away the buccal fat. It didn't hurt, but felt crazy. Before I knew it, the fat was out and the incision was stitched. The same process was then performed on the other side. It felt like I was lying there for 10 minutes, that's how fast time flew. In the end, I lay there for 30 minutes; the average time of buccal fat removal is an hour.
After the treatment, I was given some water to rinse my mouth. As the anaesthetic was still working through, this was a bit laborious. After the buccal fat removal, I was a bit dizzy. According to Dr Thanya's colleague, this is because of all the adrenaline suddenly leaving the body. Other than that, I actually felt really good. I could even laugh at myself! I arrived nervous, but there was no need for that. Pressure dressing was not necessary, but I was given coldpack to put on my cheeks. I was kindly escorted downstairs and given a bag with aftercare tips and pills. Driving home by myself is not a good idea, so I neatly got into someone else's car.
The day after the treatment, I woke up quite normal. I felt the stitches on the inside of my cheeks and when I looked in the mirror, my face was slightly fuller because of the swelling. Other than that, I felt nothing. I was called by an employee of Skin + Surgery to ask how I was doing and if I had already taken the aftercare pills. Super nice, because I forget something like that quite quickly. I simply headed towards work the day after my treatment and the best part was that no one noticed anything! Because we all now wear mouth masks because of Covid-19, my cheeks were not visible! There was no better time for me to have a buccal fat removal done than now!
The 3D model that Dr Thanya made of me in our first conversation showed what I would look like. Yet there is a big difference between seeing the change on a computer and seeing it on my own face in the mirror. Words cannot describe how happy I am with the result. When I started looking for the right clinic for me, I read the reviews on Kliniekervaringen.nl about Skin + Surgery and I knew I had come to the right place.
Now that my hamster cheeks are gone, I only notice how much it has affected my self-image. For years, this was my insecurity. I hated taking photos, constantly pursed my lips to get a little shape in my face and was among the group of girls who couldn't leave the house without contouring. I didn't feel good, not beautiful, not myself.
When I look in the mirror now, I see the woman I have always wanted to be. I feel more myself. I feel good again. Isn't that what we all deserve?
Would you like more information about buccal fat removal following Samira's story? We've already collected a lot of information for you at this page. Would you prefer direct personal advice? Ask for free a non-binding consultation to see what we can do for you.
