Karamo Brown Opens Up About Lasting Complications From 2021 Buccal Fat Removal

Karamo Brown is finally addressing the speculation surrounding his appearance by sharing the medical reality behind years of private suffering.

The Queer Eye personality, 45, opened up in a People cover story about how a buccal fat removal procedure performed in 2021 created lasting health complications. The cosmetic surgery resulted in chronic pain, persistent swelling, and problems caused by scar tissue formation and blocked saliva glands—issues that have affected him for years while remaining largely unknown to the public.

"For years, people have been like, 'Karamo's had plastic surgery. He has so much filler in his face,'" Brown shared. "I was like, 'You know what? I can't say anything because you can't get into fights with the trolls.' But I was suffering for years in pain and no one knew."

Brown explained that he decided to pursue the procedure after gaining approximately 70 pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling insecure about how he looked. "I was a big boy, and everyone online liked to tell me how much of a big boy I was," he recalled. "So, I was like, 'Okay, maybe if I slim out my face, I'll be cute.' It turned into a year-and-a-half of pain."

The aftermath brought unexpected complications. Scar tissue developed in his cheeks, interfering with proper saliva drainage and causing significant discomfort. "There'd be times you'd see me smile, and it was tight," he explained. "My cheeks would be big because they were full of saliva, full of scar tissue. I was in the worst pain."

When The Karamo Show launched in 2022, managing the physical symptoms became increasingly difficult during production. "Sometimes I would shoot six episodes a day" and his mouth "would get so dry and it would be so swollen," he said, describing the challenges of working through the ongoing issues.

During season two, Brown lost the 70 pounds he had previously gained, which helped make the scar tissue less noticeable visually. "The scar tissue and the saliva were still there, but because I was skinnier, it looked kind of normal," he noted. "I stopped eating because it helped the feeling of not having so much scar tissue."

Now, Brown is speaking openly about his experience primarily to help others in similar situations. "I know there's other people suffering with their chronic pain," he said. "I was fortunate enough to have the resources to find somebody who could help me, but I want to tell people that you don't have to suffer alone. I wish I would have told people what I was going through and not allowed myself to just stay quiet."

The interview also marked Brown's first public comments addressing the Queer Eye set drama and previous allegations of misconduct.