You may have heard of buccal fat removal. The surgery consists of removing the buccal fat pads between the cheekbone and jaw for those who prefer a more sculpted appearance. But you’re not into facial surgeries but still want your face to be sculpted and snatched, a buccal fat massage could be for you.
“The treatment is a highly specialized intra-oral facial massage technique to sculpt, define, and lift the facial muscles,” Vice President of The Spa by Equinox Hotels, Ara Patterson tells ESSENCE. Unlike the surgery, buccal fat massages are a temporary sculpting solution to last you through the week. Performed on the fat between your teeth and cheeks both inside and out, “this deep, manual massage increases blood and oxygen supply and stimulates collagen production.”
Below, Patterson lets us in on the facelifting benefits of buccal fat massages.
Increases blood flow
After a buccal fat massage, “the face, cheeks, and mouth have an immediately lifted look,” Patterson says. “Your skin tone is brighter due to increased oxygen stimulation, lines are smoothed, the contour of the face and cheekbones are more defined, and the jaw muscles are relaxed.”
Stimulates collagen production
Who doesn’t like firm skin? Specific to The Spa by Equinox Hotels’ Face Sculpting Massage Buccal Treatment, “the skin is cleansed with a firm muscular massage of the face, neck, and décolleté, followed by a customized Biologique Recherche mask, serum, and cream to create toned, glowing skin,” she says. For a tight and effective lift, “our 90-minute treatment combines the face sculpting massage enhanced with the remodeling lift microcurrent machine for a facelift.”
Relieves muscle tension
“The specialized massage technique relieves pressure and the muscle tension responsible for creating expression lines around the nasal labia area and mouth while creating contour of the mouth, jaw, and cheekbones for the ultimate facelift.”
Post-treatment results
As for the results, you can expect a temporary, yet visibly sculpted appearance. “The results last for several days and can be seen immediately after the treatment,” Patterson says. Although, “repeated treatments can provide long-term results such as relaxed jaw muscles, lifted expression, and minimized facial lines.”
To stay snatched in the long run, “we recommend 4 visits during the first week to train the face muscles and then 1-2 treatments per month to maintain the muscle memory and lifted effect.”
