Surgery on the buccal fat pad in masseter transfer.

The buccal fat pad is an essential anatomic structure in the esthetic presentation of the face. It may become hypertrophied, with fullness of the cheek, or atrophic, with a sunken appearance, or become a plus or minus factor in reconstruction in this area. Lipoma of this pad is extremely rare, but it must also be differentiated. There are, therefore, certain circumstances where the presence or absence of the buccal fat pad can create a specific imbalance and asymmetry in the face. The correction of these conditions may require reduction or augmentation. The anatomy, the risks, the classification, and the various surgical techniques that are available to accomplish this are outlined and correlated to the masseter muscle transfer.