The internet’s favorite hobby is convincing people that they need a new face. And if you do decide to get a new face, they'll convince you your old one is better.
For a while, Hollywood appeared to be in the “snatched face” era, making buccal fat removal the most talked-about cosmetic surgery.
But now, fans are convinced celebrities are restoring the softness and welcoming a new procedure to the spotlight: buccal fat restoration.
Highlights
- Buccal fat removal became a major cosmetic trend, but now discussions about buccal fat restoration are taking over social media.
- A photo of Anya Taylor-Joy recently went viral with the caption, “but why is her buccal fat is back…?”
- The tweet not only triggered a discussion about buccal fat restoration but even pointed out that cosmetic surgeons offer solutions to people looking for fuller facial features.
- “Removed it, stored it, and sold it back at a premium. This man is running a face bank,” one commented online.
The internet’s favorite hobby is convincing people that they need a new face. Then they will convince you that your old one is better
Image credits: Nina Westervelt/WWD via Getty Images / Raymond Hall/GC Images
In recent times, fans have been obsessed with pointing out cheek definitions and facial contours of celebrities, claiming they were possible signs of facial surgery.
One of the most hotly discussed cosmetic trends was buccal fat removal, with viewers often speculating whether stars like Anya Taylor-Joy, Bella Hadid, Zoë Kravitz, Sophie Turner and Lea Michele have opted for the procedure.
The trend has now taken a shift, with fans claiming that buccal fat restoration is the latest obsession.
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A photo of Anya Taylor-Joy recently went viral with the caption, “but why is her buccal fat is back…?”
Taylor-Joy has never addressed speculation about whether she went under the knife to alter the appearance of her face.
Yet, the tweet claiming her “buccal fat is back” garnered 7.9 million views on X.
Some fans think fuller facial features are making a comeback and have, hence, been discussing buccal fat restoration
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The tweet not only triggered a discussion about buccal fat restoration but even pointed out that cosmetic surgeons offer solutions to people looking for fuller facial features.
One X user shared screenshots of both the buccal fat removal and the buccal fat restoration procedures offered by the California-based FACES+, founded by Dr. Steven R. Cohen.
“One of the pioneers of buccal fat removal also pioneered buccal fat restoration,” the tweet said.
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The responses to that tweet were swift and biting.
Many users accused the cosmetic industry of profiting off shifting beauty standards, with one comment joking that the surgeon had “managed to farm women’s insecurities not once but twice” by promoting both removal and restoration.
Others pushed back on the “pioneer” label altogether.
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“It appears he's just a pioneer of buccal fat restoration, and just offers removal as a procedure, but didn't pioneer it,” one said.
Another wrote, “Removed it, stored it, and sold it back at a premium. This man is running a face bank.”
“Give this man a medal,” another said. “He managed to farm women’s insecurities not once but twice by peddling the both the problem and solution. This must be what big pharma feels on a daily basis.”
Fans often speculate whether stars like Anya Taylor-Joy, Sophie Turner, and Kelly Osbourne have opted for the procedure
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It’s not just celebrity pictures fueling the conversation.
Social media users have also been sharing their own experiences with buccal fat removal and, in some cases, seeking ways to restore lost volume.
But experts said the reality behind the online discourse is not as straightforward as it appears.
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Prof. Dr. Fuat, a plastic surgeon with Longevita, said there is no such wave of former buccal fat removal patients rushing to reverse the procedure.
What might be changing, however, is the growing appreciation for softer, fuller facial contours.
“For a while, sharply sculpted, hollow cheeks became a popular beauty trend, largely influenced by celebrities and social media,” the cosmetic surgeon told Bored Panda.
“More recently, though, we've seen a move towards fuller, more balanced faces, with facial volume increasingly associated with looking healthier and more youthful,” he added.
This distinction matters because despite what TikTok might suggest, buccal fat removal isn’t something that can simply be undone or “reversed.”
“Once the buccal fat pad has been surgically removed, it cannot simply grow back,” Dr. Fuat explained. “What surgeons can do is restore volume using carefully selected techniques, such as fat grafting or fillers, but that is reconstruction rather than reversal.”
Buccal fat removal isn’t something that can simply be undone or “reversed”
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Replacing volume, he explained, is often more complex than removing it in the first place.
“The original fat pad has its own structure, blood supply and position within the face,” he said.
“While modern techniques can produce natural improvements, recreating exactly what was there before is rarely possible. The aim is to restore facial balance and achieve a natural-looking result, rather than replicate the original anatomy exactly.”
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Dr. Fuat said the long-term impact of buccal fat removal is closely linked to the natural aging process rather than the procedure alone.
Buccal fat is one of the few areas in your face that doesn’t shrink much as you age, while most other areas naturally lose volume over time.
So the fat kind of acts like a built-in cushion or reserve that keeps your face looking softer and fuller as you get older.
“Buccal fat plays an important role in how the face ages,” the plastic surgeon explained
Image credits: Ben Lyric/Pexels (not the actual photo)
“Buccal fat plays an important role in how the face ages,” he said. “Although other areas of the face naturally lose volume over time, the buccal fat pad itself changes very little throughout adult life.”
“For this reason, it acts as a natural reserve, helping to maintain softer facial contours as the face ages. If it is removed in someone's twenties, the face has less of that natural reserve as age-related volume loss gradually occurs,” he added.
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The expert stressed that this is not an inevitable outcome and depends on factors such as facial anatomy and surgical technique.
“In the right candidate, buccal fat reduction can create subtle definition without compromising long-term facial balance,” he said.
“However, in naturally slim faces, or where too much fat has been removed, hollowing may become more noticeable with age,” he added. “Often, what people are seeing is not the surgery alone, but the combined effect of surgery and the normal aging process.”
Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)
When asked whether there are cases where a patient’s original look simply cannot be restored, Dr. Fuat said it is often possible to restore lost volume but “recreating the exact face someone had before surgery is a different matter altogether.”
“The buccal fat pad is a distinct anatomical structure with its own shape and position within the face,” he said. “Once it has been removed, treatments can restore volume, but it’s unlikely to recreate the original buccal fat pad.”
For that reason, he said the focus is not on reversing the procedure but on achieving a result that looks balanced and natural.
“Fat grafting and other volume-restoring techniques can soften a hollow appearance and improve facial proportions, but they cannot guarantee an identical return to a patient's previous appearance,” Dr. Fuat said.
Time, he added, is another important consideration.
“If several years have passed since the original procedure, natural aging and changes in the surrounding tissues can further influence the final result. The goal is to restore harmony to the face as it is today, rather than trying to recreate a snapshot from the past,” he continued.
“The internet has developed an entire cinematic universe around her cheeks,” one commented on Anya Taylor-Joy's pictures
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