Overview
Before operating around the cheek, the authors studied the buccal fat pad in 11 head specimens (22 sides of the face). They described its capsules, attachments, blood supply and relation to nearby structures, with a step-by-step dissection. They then drew clinical applications from the findings.
Findings
- 11 head specimens, 22 sides.
- The buccal fat pad divides into anterior, intermediate and posterior lobes by capsule structure, ligaments and blood supply.
- The buccal, pterygoid, pterygopalatine and temporal (superficial and deep) extensions come from the posterior lobe.
- Six ligaments fix the pad to the maxilla, back of the zygoma, rims of the infraorbital fissure, temporalis tendon or buccinator membrane.
- Each lobe has several feeding vessels and a vessel network under its capsule.
- Functions: filling deep spaces, gliding pads for chewing and expression muscles, cushioning structures from muscle pressure or outside force.
- Pad volume may change over a lifetime.
- Clinical applications proposed: a mechanism for deepening of the nasolabial fold, and a facelift that suspends the front lobe upward and backward.
- Loose or weak ligaments, or torn capsules, may let the buccal extension drop into the mouth or under the skin.
What it means for a patient
- The buccal fat pad is a deep fat pad in the cheek. The authors suggest its descent can deepen the fold from nose to mouth.
- They propose a facelift step that lifts the front part of this pad up and back.
- Surgeons also use this fat as a flap or work on it to correct cheek bulges or hollows. Its lobes and blood supply matter in these procedures.
- This is a cadaver study. The clinical uses are proposals and are not tested in patients here.
Why this paper matters
It mapped the lobes, ligaments and blood supply of the buccal fat pad. It proposed a link to nasolabial fold deepening and a facelift maneuver to suspend the pad. Cited 145 times (NIH iCite, 2026-09-25).
Terms
- Buccal fat pad: a deep pad of fat in the cheek, between the chewing muscles.
- Capsule: a thin covering that surrounds an organ or fat pad.
- Nasolabial fold: the crease from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth.
- Buccinator: the cheek muscle that presses the cheek against the teeth.
- Pedicled flap: tissue moved while still attached to its blood supply.