What's the one thing that stars Brad Pitt, Adam Levine, and Bradley Cooper all have in
common?
Dimples!
Well, dimples and superstardom, fortune and increasingly good looks.
But today, we're all about those cheeks.
Here's the truth about dimples!
"I'm beautiful!"
It may be hard to believe, but dimples are actually a birth defect.
Dr. Brent Moelleken, celebrity plastic surgeon and associate clinical professor of surgery
at UCLA, shared with Smithsonian Magazine,
"Cheek dimples are a genetically transmitted abnormality of a muscle in the cheek."
Basically, the muscle divides into two sections and attaches to the cheek.
Plastic surgeon Anthony Youn, revealed to news outlet,
"This fibrous connection causes a dimple to become deeper and more visible when a person
smiles, flexing that muscle."
Despite being a genetics thing, you might not automatically inherit your mama's adorable
dimples.
According to the University of Utah, dimples are considered quote "highly heritable, " but
they're not guaranteed.
And you don't have to look much further than the Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner clan.
Both Garner and her ex-husband Affleck have dimples.
And each and every one of the pair's three children also have dimples.
However, had the parents gone on to have anymore kids, those children would not necessarily
inherit the family cheeks.
"Hold on a second, hold up!"
The university explained,
"Because their inheritance isn't completely predictable, dimples are considered an 'irregular'
dominant trait."
People from all backgrounds love dimples, but the science isn't exactly crystal clear
on why this is.
Plastic surgeon Amanda Wong-Powell speculates that lower back dimples are attractive because
they signify fitness and youth.
But is that the case with cheek dimples, too?
Dr. Moelleken told Smithsonian Magazine,
"People debate why [cheek dimples are] an appealing feature.
[…] [Perhaps it's a feature of youth."
And this theory just might actually check out.
Just think about the most youthful people around: Babies.
"You know what?
You're not that cute.
And I am not falling for it.
So you just keep trying."
Because babies have more fat in their chubby cheeks, they often have dimples, albeit temporary
ones, as Dr. Moelleken explains.
Hence, the easy association with youth.
But could it really be that simple?
Do we all view people with cheek dimples as baby-faced and youthful?
As younger faces are often considered to be more attractive, it really wouldn't be that
far-fetched to think dimples only add to that fresh-faced look.
With a history going back as far as the late 1800s, surgical procedures to create facial
dimples still exist today.
"Guess what people are doing, they're doing a lot to turn back the hands of time, how?
Dimpleplasty!"
According to Healthline, those who weren't blessed with dimples from the start can opt
to have an outpatient procedure fittingly called a dimpleplasty.
"In any other community in the world, this makes absolutely no sense.
But it's Hollywood."
After applying an anesthetic, a plastic surgeon removes muscle and fat where the new "dimples"
will be.
A suture is then positioned to "set" the dimple in place.
It's not generally considered a risky procedure, but it is one that's challenging to reverse.
Additionally, time may not be too kind to cosmetically-enhanced dimples.
A spokesperson for SurgiCare plastic surgeons told Fox News,
"As the skin ages and loses elasticity, there is no telling how the scars will look as the
face begins to droop — designer dimples could become designer disasters within a matter
of years."
These so-called "designer dimples" also don't look nearly as realistic as, well, their natural-born
cousins.
When a person with natural dimples isn't smiling, you don't really see the impressions in their
cheeks.
However, the surgically-added dimples can be seen no matter the person's facial expression.
Natural dimples are pretty much forever.
But for those people who are less than pleased to have been genetically blessed with them,
surgical removal isn't a viable option.
Plastic surgeon Youn told the Smithsonian,
"I've had a number of patients ask me over the years if I could remove a dimple for them.
I tell them it's virtually impossible.
Even with a facelift, cheek dimples will not disappear."
But even though they may stand the test of time — and surgery — dimples can appear
to fade due to fat loss.
And just like babies can show dimpling of the skin from excess fat, once those little
ones grow up and lose that fat, their dimples will live on only in their photos, not on
their faces.
But of course, babies who were born with real deal dimples will grow up into dimpled — and
might we add attractive — adults.
"This is a better angle, right here."
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