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It only took one photo, posted by American actress Lea Michele, to propel a decades-old banal cosmetic surgery procedure into a beauty obsession on social media. The bichectomy, which several celebrities would have benefited from, would allow the face to be sculpted in a stroke of the scalpel – or almost – except that it is obviously not a trivial act. Explanations.
On December 12, actress and singer Lea Michele published a simple snapshot on her Instagram account, accompanied by a quirky message. Nothing extraordinary at first glance, except that the 30-year-old displays a refined face, hollowed cheeks, and raised cheekbones. A physical evolution that has not escaped the watchful eye of his followers. If the comments are rather glowing, a handful of subscribers wonder about the changes made to the shape of his face. “I miss your pretty cheeks. Why did you do that to your face?“, can we read among the hundreds of comments. And as time went by, the terms “fat buccal removal” – understand “removal of buccal fat” – multiplied, putting a spotlight on a surgical procedure. decades-old aesthetic.
A sculpted face
The oral fat in question has a name, Bichat’s ball, which everyone has, and which is located under the muscles and extends to the temple. Its volume, which varies from one individual to another, can give a round shape to the face, with less marked cheekbones. Its removal, or rather its reduction, thus makes it possible to refine the face, to sculpt it, to bring out the cheekbones, to redraw the contour of the face, and to obtain this angular face which seems to be unanimous on social networks . Something impossible without intervention, even with a diet, since this fat is not – or only slightly – impacted by weight variations.
This surgical procedure, which is fairly quick and not very restrictive, is in no way innovative, but it is now the new fad of many users on social networks. In question, the multiplication of this act among the stars, according to rumors in any case, since only Chrissy Teigen has openly confessed to having used it in the past. This did not prevent Internet users from speculating on possible interventions for other personalities, including Lea Michele, Bella Hadid, Sophie Turner, Margot Robbie or even Zoë Kravitz.
An act far from trivial
Asked by The New York Times, Dr. Alan Matarasso of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) said it was a light procedure, lasting less than half an hour, which was performed under anesthesia locally, with potentially pain and swelling that lasted no longer than a week. “I can perform it on a 20-year-old at 8 a.m., and they can be sitting at their desk at 9:15 a.m., without any discomfort and making the operation seem less complicated than a trip to the dentist.“, he explained to the New York daily.
But the apparent simplicity of this act should not make it trivial, as revealed by Dr. Gary Linkov, a famous plastic surgeon based in New York, in a video posted at the end of December on YouTube. The health professional, who returns to the principle of this intervention, explains why he simply stopped performing it, insisting in particular on the fact that it is a fortiori… definitive. It is therefore impossible to go back, as may be the case for certain acts of medicine or cosmetic surgery. That’s not all, the surgeon also explains that with age the face can appear even more sunken, even emaciated. So many reasons that encourage him to warn people wishing to benefit from it.
Contouring, accessible and ephemeral
If the risks associated with bichectomy are very limited, according to many health professionals, they are nonetheless real. Bruising, bleeding, and infection appear to be the most common risks, but some surgeons also mention facial numbness. To avoid having to turn to this intervention, many tiktokeurs have mobilized to disclose their makeup tricks to obtain the same effect of sunken cheeks. A fast, ephemeral, and inexpensive technique, which greatly limits this type of risk, and avoids spending tens of thousands of euros.