Karamo Brown says a 2021 buccal fat removal procedure led to scar tissue blocking saliva drainage in his cheeks, leaving him in chronic pain for years—an ordeal he says escalated after the start of The Karamo Show in 2022.
Karamo Brown didn’t expect a routine change to follow him for years. But the 2021 buccal fat removal procedure he says altered the way saliva drained from his cheeks became a daily source of pain—one he described as worsening over time and hiding behind his own effort to look normal.
Brown, 45, told People in an article published Tuesday, June 2, that the procedure caused scar tissue to block saliva in his cheeks from draining. He said the pain went unnoticed for years, even as people assumed he had cosmetic work done.
“For years, people have been, like, ‘Karamo’s had plastic surgery. He has so much filler in his face,’” Brown said. He added that he stayed quiet because of online backlash, even while he suffered. “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.”.
He described what it looked like when the problem built up. Once saliva collected within each cheek, he said scar tissue would harden. “There’d be times you’d see me smile, and it was tight,” Brown recalled. “My cheeks would be big because they were full of saliva, full of scar tissue. I was in the worst pain.”.
Brown. who joined Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye in 2018. said he signed up for the procedure after gaining about 70 pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. He told People he was encouraged online to focus on his weight and decided to slim down his face. “I was a big boy, and everyone online liked to tell me how much of a big boy I was. So. I was like. ‘OK. maybe if I slim out my face. I’ll be cute.’ It turned into a year-and-a-half of pain.”.
The pressure didn’t end when Queer Eye fans were watching. Brown said the pain intensified after the premiere of his daytime talk show, The Karamo Show, in 2022. The series was cancelled in March after four seasons. Brown said the demands of filming made his symptoms more visible. including moments when his mouth felt swollen and painfully dry. “I would shoot six episodes a day. and there’d be times when I was filming my show that my mouth would get so dry and it would be so swollen. ” he told the outlet.
When he tried to hide the bulge, Brown said he lost 70 pounds. He explained that as he slimmed down. the scar tissue was less noticeable—even though he says the issue itself didn’t disappear. “The more weight I lost, the less scar tissue you could see,” he said. “The scar tissue and the saliva were still there, but because I was skinnier, it looked kind of normal. I stopped eating because it helped the feeling of not having so much scar tissue.”.
In recent months, Brown also said he underwent a procedure to fix his saliva glands, which removed scar tissue in his cheeks.
His disclosure comes as 2025 has brought other upheaval as well. In February, his ex Carlos Medel confirmed their split from Brown via an Instagram post. Medel wrote, “Although this year I’m single, I still want to make sure love is around!. All my love to my friends and family. thank you for being part of my life one more year!” Medel had begun a romance with Brown in 2021.
Brown’s People interview also touched on his time on Queer Eye. He said the set felt like a work environment filled with poor behavior, and described cast dynamics he tied to division within the show. He added that he was cleared of any wrongdoing behind the scenes of Queer Eye.
For Brown. the story isn’t just about cosmetic surgery—it’s about what happens when someone’s visible appearance becomes the public explanation. while the real cause remains hidden. He said he endured the pain for years before speaking out. and now wants the focus to land on what he says was happening inside his cheeks. long after the world assumed it was just another transformation.
Karamo Brown Queer Eye plastic surgery buccal fat removal chronic pain The Karamo Show Netflix People interview saliva glands
Damn that sounds brutal.
So like… he got buccal fat removed and it somehow messes with saliva?? I just don’t get how people assume he had “filler” if he was actually hurting. Wild that it took years.
I mean, 2021 procedure, then “The Karamo Show” started in 2022… so it’s definitely the TV show causing scar tissue or whatever right? Like stress and all that. Doctors don’t just make saliva blockages for no reason.
I feel like people on social media are so mean they won’t even let you be sick. If he said his cheeks were tight and big from… saliva?? that’s honestly horrifying. Also he gained 70 pounds so he did cosmetic stuff, but then trolls just kept saying plastic surgery anyway. Hope he actually got proper care, because years of pain is insane.