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Background: Although the excision of the buccal fat pad has become very popular for achieving a slimmer midface, not all patients are good candidates for this procedure. Unfortunately, studies that provide guidelines by emphasizing volumetric and technical details are limited.Objectives: The study compared preoperative and postoperative volumetric data to identify the amount of tissue that can safely be removed and important technical concepts involved in lower cheek contouring with buccal fat pad excision.Methods: Patients complaining of cheek fullness were evaluated to determine if they were good candidates for the procedure. Eligible patients were screened with transbuccal ultrasound to determine tissue volumes and anatomical details. Intraoperative and postoperative, 6th-month volume measurements were undertaken and residual tissues and vascular pedicles reevaluated.Results: Ultrasound imaging showed that the mean preoperative volume of the fat pads was 11.67 ± 1.44 mL, and the mean postoperative volume was 8.58 ± 1.07 mL. The mean volume of the excised tissues was 2.74 ± 0.69 mL. Postoperative buccal fat pad volume values correlated with the reported average in the literature for the same age group.Conclusions: Buccal fat pad removal is an effective technique for refining the facial silhouette that should be reserved for patients with increased buccal fat pad volume. Removal of only the excessive portion of the fat pad is important because this structure provides significant volume in the midface that can be difficult to restore once aging affects the surrounding soft and bony tissue.Level Of Evidence:4: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lip augmentation procedures have increased drastically in the last years as patients seek to enhance the shape and size of their lips with dermal fillers. One of the main concerns faced with these procedures is the pain inflicted through injections. On the other hand, many different techniques have been introduced for the reduction of pain while performing office-based minimal invasive procedures.Objectives: This study aims to determine the analgesic effect of vibration anesthesia during lip augmentation procedures and to evaluate its overall effect on the comfort of patients.Methods: A split-lip study was designed in a randomized fashion for 25 lip augmentation patients who received hyaluronic acid fillers with or without with a concurrent vibration stimulus on either half of their lips. Patients were asked to score the pain that they felt during lip injections on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain ever felt) for either lip half. The pain scores were then analyzed for significance.Results: The overall pain score on the vibration-assisted side was 3.82 ± 1.73 while the pain score for the side with no vibration was 5.6 ± 1.76 (P < 0.001). Twenty-three patients (92%) felt less pain with the addition of vibration while, interestingly, 2 patients (8%) stated that they felt an increase in pain levels on the vibration-treated side.Conclusions: Vibration devices can be a safe and effective tool for lowering pain levels in patients undergoing lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid fillers.Level of Evidence: 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]