Dimple that cheek

Have dimples cheeks? Then you must have been told time and again, how cute you are! While women crave for it, now, even men are going in for these procedures to get an attractive smile. Anne Hathaway, Blake Lively, Gwen Stefani and Khloe Kardashian have all undergone this dimpleplasty to accentuate their smiles, it has been reported.

Very few are born with dimples, and the ones who have them, have a disarming smile. We can all agree that dimples are pretty adorable and desirable, so it’s not surprising that even men want to sport that cute look.

A dimple is a small natural indentation in the flesh on a part of the human body, most notably on the cheek or chin. They are actually genetic defects that are caused by shortened facial muscles!

There are two ways of creating a dimple:

Static Dimples
These dimples do not change in position or depth with animation. They remain like a sore thumb even when the person has no expression. No expertise is needed to create this dimple.

Dynamic Dimples
These dimples mimic natural dimples and become prominent only when the person smiles, as these are animated with the fibres of the expression muscle. The skin will, however, flatten out in a week or two when the suture is absorbed. The internal scarring —which takes place — will connect the muscle to the skin, creating a dimple which becomes prominent when one smiles.

This procedure can be undertaken with local anaesthesia. Normal activities, except chewing food can be resumed straight after the procedure. You walk in without a dimple and leave with your desired facial indents!

This procedure is perfect for people who want to enhance their smiles. In an age where most people consider dimples as an attractive facial feature, this adds to one’s overall personality or people in particular cultures consider dimples to be a good omen.

Do’s and Don’ts
1. Expect swelling and bruising on the cheeks. You can use cold compresses on the cheeks for 24 hours to reduce the swelling. Do not use any compress after that.
2. Only liquid and soft diet is suggested for five to seven days (till the inner sutures fall off).
3. Mouth gargles and medications are advised for a week.

The price for the procedure varies depending on whether done as day care or hospital-based, under local anaesthesia or under sedation, one side or both sides etc. Usually, it costs in multiples of Rs 40,000.

— The writer is a Mumbai-based senior cosmetic surgeon.

Disclaimer: Always check with a cosmetic surgeon before going ahead with this procedure.