I live in Italy and I'm interested in the buccal fat pad removal.

Your questions answered by our surgeon, Lucian Ion, FRCS(Plast)

Asked on 18 August 2013

Question

Dear Dr Ion, I live in Italy and I'm interested in the buccal fat pad removal. If I come to England for the first consultation and you agree that I'm a good candidate for the procedure, how long do I have to wait before the surgery?

After surgery, how many days should I stay in London?

Answer

In general, it is recommended that there should be a "cooling off" period of at least two weeks between a consultation and surgery. This is essentially to avoid a rushed decision.

I would be happy to have a look at some of your photographs to understand what it is you would like to achieve, but typically at the time of the consultation I tend to use 3-D imaging and simulation to establish more accurately the parameters of the change projected. This means that in some instances buccal fat reduction remains the procedure of choice, in some instances liposuction appears to be preferable and in some instances the combination of liposuction and buccal fat reduction is most suitable.

If at least I can have a look at the images and give you some general guidance, it would be possible to shorten the stay in the UK prior to the surgery.

Typically, I tend to see patients post operatively at one week, which may be brought down to a shorter interval if buccal fat reduction alone is carried out.

Mr Lucian Ion FRCS(Plast)
129 Harley Street
London
W1G 6BA