DIMPLES --by Kreed

(Image source: www.pinterest.com)

Do you remember that girl? The one with dimples? She was beautiful right? And the dimples perfected her beauty. Remember how you wished you had one and even went as far as using your pen to push your cheek every morning to create your own dimple? Few weeks after the pen puncturing exercise, you still had no dimples, instead the pimples trying to cover every facet of your face became even more relentless. So much effort, with rather undesiring results. Downhearted you were and I’m sure you wondered why God decided to ‘bless’ some and not all. Cheer up! Think no more, I’ve got good news. What if I told you that a dimple is actually a deformity? Stunned huh?

Dimples are a facial muscle deformity. Dimples may be caused by variations in the structure of the facial muscle known as zygomaticus major. Specifically, the presence of a double or bifid zygomaticus major muscle may explain the formation of cheek dimples. This bifid variation of the muscle originates as a single structure from the zygomatic bone. As it travels anteriorly, it then divides with a superior bundle that inserts in the typical position above the corner of the mouth. An inferior bundle inserts below the corner of the mouth.

There are 3 types of dimples, namely:

Cheek Dimples: This is the most common type of dimple. It can be found on many areas of the cheek

Chin Dimples: Often referred to as a ‘cleft chin’, is less common dimple on the face, which results from a connection to the underlying jaw structure

Back Dimple: This type of dimple has been referred to as the ‘dimple of Venus’ after the Roman goddess of beauty (when will they ever name something after our own gods, like Sango et al). It is the least known of the three. It is often situated in the lower part of the back and is more common in women than in men.

However, if you’re still obsessed about this deformity, you can get it through a surgical procedure called Dimple Creation Surgery (so literal) or Dimplasty. Dimplasty is a procedure that can be done under local anesthesia. Prior to the procedure, the oculoplastic surgeon will mark the area with you, so you are fully aware of the planned dimple placement. During the procedure, the doctor will make a small opening inside the mouth and work on the buccinators muscle inside the cheek to create a natural-looking pimple. The inside of the cheek is closed with dissolvable stitches. Since the procedure is performed inside the mouth, there is no obvious appearance of surgery from the outside. Dimplasty is a quick, relatively painless procedure. A dimple creation procedure takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

There you have it. Despite all this however, the dimple remains the cutest deformity ever.