What is buccal fat removal, and who are the celebs rumoured to have had it done?

Buccal fat removal promises chiseled cheeks and prominent cheekbones. Photo: AFP

It took only one photo, posted by American actress Lea Michele, to propel a relatively mundane cosmetic surgery procedure several decades old to the rank of beauty obsession of the moment on social media.

Buccal fat removal, which several celebrities may have benefitted from, promises to sculpt the face in the swipe of a scalpel... or almost. However, this is not necessarily a harmless undertaking.