People are getting their cheek fat removed in latest odd beauty trend

A viral tweet has drawn attention to the fixation on surgery and aesthetic treatments, sparking a widespread debate.

The post-in-question delved into how unattainable beauty standards birthed the normalisation of such treatments, including "buccal fat removal."

While the treatment has been around for decades, it (worryingly) appears to be having a moment in a strange new beauty trend.

The surgery involves removing the pocket of fat (i.e. buccal fat) from the area between cheekbones and jawbones to make a face appear slimmer and more defined. The procedure is said to take around an hour and is generally performed under local anaesthesia with the patient completely awake.

The Twitter user highlighted that "non-plastic surgeons looking at a person they've never met before and saying 'they've had buccal fat removal' isn't normal."

One stunned user was shocked to see the term entering the mainstream: "I only knew of it because I was working at a clinic for a long time, but it started popping up on the timeline, and I was like wait what?! How? Why? LOL".

Another penned: "Seeing people randomly say someone had buccal fat removal had me also questioning how exactly they know this."

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Meanwhile, a third added: "It’s actually very common to learn a new thing and then notice it everywhere/ all the time. Like when you get a new car and start noticing similar ones all the time."

While it's speculated that many celebrities have undergone the procedure, Chrissy Teigen was the first to open up about her decision.

"I did that Dr. Diamond buccal fat removal thing here," the cookbook author and model said on her Instagram story at the time. "And since I quit drinking," she added, "I'm really seeing the results, and I like it."

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