While Celebs Are Getting Their Buccal Fat Removed, I'm Getting Mine Massaged — Here's A Peek At This Unique Facial Technique

Hi everyone! My name is Hannah, and an exciting part of my job is investigating trendy foods, drinks, products, and experiences and then sharing my honest thoughts and feelings with you, my dear readers. So, when the term "buccal fat" kept popping up on social media, in celebrity news, and on TikTok, I became intrigued. I had to see what was up.

So, what the heck is buccal fat anyway? Buccal fat is a pad of fatty tissue in the cheek below the cheekbone. These pads vary in size and shape from person to person. "Buccal fat" really became a household term when, suddenly, it seemed like celebrities left and right were undergoing buccal fat removal in an attempt to sculpt their face. Lea Michele has been rumored to have undergone the procedure, and Chrissy Teigen has spoken about her experience getting her buccal fat removed.

After "buccal fat removal" became part of my vocabulary, I began stumbling upon TikToks that were also buccal fat-related, but these involved no incisions, knives, or numbing medicines. No, these TikToks were about buccal massages! It turns out there are some real benefits to stimulating and massaging your buccal fat. Color me curious.

As someone with a lot of facial tension and TMJ pain, a face massage can be either divine or a little scary. My jaw is very rigid, it pops, and it often bothers me. I also feel as though the tension alters my face shape and weighs me down. I decided to research buccal massages and see what the hype was all about. My search led me to Face Glow Skincare & Laser, a New York City-based business offering an array of skincare services, including an Intra-Oral Buccal Massage. This facial massage carefully works the muscles inside and outside of the mouth and jaw to release tension, enhance blood flow, stimulate collagen production, provide relaxation, and help sculpt the face's natural contours. I was sold.

I secured an appointment with Nadiya, the lead esthetician and founder of Face Glow. Nadiya has spent many years working as a massage therapist across various physical therapy offices. She also helps young people treat their acne, and older adults address and embrace aging. She has taken numerous courses in different countries focused on massage techniques and approaches. She has recently noticed an uptick in adults dealing with TMJ pain, and she realized her knowledge and skills could be very beneficial in helping ease their pain. "The mouth is a place where a lot of people hold stress, and a buccal massage promotes stress relief and relaxation," says Nadiya. She offered me an 80-minute massage experience, which I will take you through now. Strap in because you're going to see some horrifying and deeply unflattering photos of me!

Before the massage:

The process began with gentle neck stretching and a quick massage of my jawline to stimulate the treatment area. Nadiya also had me open my mouth and demonstrate my bite so she could understand where my tension was most prominent and get an idea of what she was working with. She had me repeat the jaw opening and closing many times throughout the massage to track my progress, so to speak.

Next was more divine neck and external face massaging. I could feel some of my tension melting away as Nadiya sculpted along my jawline, but I was also keenly aware that Nadiya would soon be putting her fingers inside my mouth to continue the massage, so I was a little nervous.

Next, the gloves came out, and it was time for the "intra" part of my intra-oral buccal fat massage! Here's where the *extra* flattering photos come in. Nadiya began by massaging inside each cheek and loosening up my mouth. I was hesitant initially and tensed up, but she reminded me to focus on my breathing. As she massaged down the inside of my cheeks, I realized I could feel pockets of tension, like knots you get in your shoulders, inside my face. Nadiya focused on feeling the fascia and identifying where I was holding the most tension and, subsequently, experiencing the most discomfort. I was then given a break and enjoyed more external facial massaging. At this point, I started noticing some of the asymmetry in my jaw and how much tenser one side of my face (from cheek to jaw to neck) felt than the other. Nadiya even noticed this in my bite.

After this little break, we dove right into some intense mouth stretching. My lips were pulled like taffy, tall and wide, and my cheeks were stretched in various directions. My face has never moved like that before! It wasn't easy to relax and release at the start, but I could feel myself becoming more and more comfortable with the sensation. I also noticed how my jaw wasn't popping with these intense movements, which was surprising. There was some discomfort and moments where it "hurt so good," but there was also increased flexibility and mobility that I didn't expect so quickly.

As the procedure began to wrap up, Nadiya did more sculpting around my jaw. She focused on the left side of my face, the side where there's more tension, and my bite is a little off-kilter. She reminded me that while this massage as a one-time session would yield some relief and results, it would take more work for there to be any long-lasting changes. She also noted that I may experience some soreness later in the evening or the next day, but I actually never did. Instead, I enjoyed a happy, painless jaw for the first time since, I don't know, 2020. She finally cleansed my skin and applied a warm towel as a lovely cherry on top.

As the procedure ended, I snapped a couple of selfies to get a quick look at myself. Though I hadn't yet done a side-by-side comparison with the selfies I took before the massage, I immediately noticed a nice, lifted, contoured look along my cheekbones. My face also felt genuinely relaxed and comfortable.

Here I am, post-massage, at home:

Now let me show you my "before" and "after" photos together so you can get a better look:

In addition to the apparent relief in my jaw (and lack of popping!), I immediately noticed some aesthetic results as well. My face appeared less puffy and more defined, my jawline looked more sculpted, and I had a fresh, lifted look overall.

I snapped another selfie about 48 hours later (before bed) to see how things were looking. My jaw is considerably looser, but my face doesn't have the same post-facial glow. I think my jawline still looks a bit more sculpted than usual, and my cheekbones have a bit more overall lift. I'm eager to begin adding the stretches Nadiya showed me into my routine and practicing some external and internal face massage techniques to help deal with future tension, pain, and sculpting.

Final thoughts: This is a very unique procedure that may not be for everyone. That being said, I enjoyed it so much more than I ever expected to. I'm very glad I took a chance and tried this out because it exceeded my expectations. Though this is the kind of thing that requires consistency to yield strong results, I'm very impressed with the outcome of my massage. My face looked and felt better afterward, and my jaw tension was massively reduced. I know a few stressful days or rough nights of sleep will eventually reintroduce that tightness and discomfort, but the immediate aftermath has been great. I understand this is a luxury procedure that doesn't make sense for everyone, but if you're on the fence about trying it out and have the means to do so, I highly recommend the experience. Though I can't financially commit to making this a regular part of my life, I would definitely return for another session in the future.

So, what are your thoughts? Would you ever try an intra-oral massage? Tell me in the comments!

This service was provided free of charge, though BuzzFeed was under no obligation to provide a positive review.