THE "HOLLOWED FACE" EFFECT SAID TREND: IN THE TRAIL OF THE TOP MODELS OF SCREAM, THERE IS A BOOM OF INTERVENTIONS TO REMOVE THE BICHAT BUBBLE

THE "HOLLOWED FACE" EFFECT SAID TREND: IN THE TRAIL OF THE TOP MODELS OF SCREAM, THERE IS A BOOM OF INTERVENTIONS TO REMOVE THE BICHAT BUBBLE

di Maria Serena Patriarca

The new trends in cosmetic surgery, as often happens, are traced by Hollywood divas and top models of international catwalks. It is therefore not surprising that in Europe there is a boom for the “ hollow face ” effect, with an increasing demand for interventions to remove the so-called “Bichat bubble”.

Also in our country, the new trend in facial surgery is precisely the removal of fat at the height of the cheeks, to make the face more hollow and the features more defined.

The removal of the “Bichat bubble” is therefore a way to say goodbye to plump and round faces, and pave the way for pronounced cheekbones and cheeks hollowed out in the wake of the image of red carpet stars (the recent Cannes Film Festival docet ). Influencers and social icons, not surprisingly, seem to all agree in saying “stop” to the fat in the face, to instead prefer slimmer faces and emphasized features. The request to cosmetic surgeons, in this sense, comes from women of all ages, not only very young: the twenty-year-olds with a child’s face and a full face – for example – aspire to appear more mature; for this they ask the surgeon to highlight the cheekbones, chin and jaw. After the age of 40, however, there is a growing need to remove the “ bulldog ” effect, reducing excess skin that has become sagging with age.

The “Bubble of Bichat” is a rounded mass of fat in the center of the cheek, or the buccal fat pad located between the facial muscles, under the cheekbone. Everyone, and young children most of all, have these fat pads, but their size varies a lot, affecting the shape of the face, sometimes puerile and rounded. In the little ones, the cheeks are more highlighted, while with advancing age the fat is reduced, and begins to drop downwards. As summer approaches, there is no doubt that the requests for buccal lipectomy (Bichectomy) are growing, to surgically thin the cheeks, remove the pads and define the corners of the lower part of the face.

The operation can also be performed in conjunction with rhinoplasty, lifting, lip augmentation or chin implants, but it is not recommended in the case of very thin faces or severe facial aging. If there are no contraindications, this surgery is performed in sedation and in day hospital: a small incision is made inside the cheek, pressing on the outside to “unglue” and extract the fat pad.

In the post-operative period, a liquid diet for several days is desirable, combined with the use of a special disinfectant mouthwash. Normal daily activity can be resumed the day after the surgery, although total recovery takes an average of two months, which is a good time for the face to deflate and any bruising to be absorbed.

A similar trend that is popular in the States concerns the “Body Contouring”, the redefinition of the body profile. In the USA alone, lipoaspiration is up by 5%, abdominoplasty by 9%, mastopexy (breast lifting) by 7%. After childbirth, or in any case after a certain age, the desire to get back into shape is felt by reducing excess tissues and fat deposits. But let’s not forget that among the most “popular” treatments in the United States there is also the self-transplantation of fat: just think that facial lipofilling recorded an increase of 13% last year; that of the buttocks increased by 26%, while for breast lipofilling there was even an increase of 72%.