What makes Harry Styles, Bruno Mars and Joseph Gordon-Levitt so likable?
Dimples.
Same with Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman, Orlando Bloom, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Adam Levine, Usher and Hollywood’s most beloved human dimple — Mario Lopez.
So it’s no wonder that dimpleplasty — a plastic surgery meant to create artificial dimples — is gaining in popularity, especially among young millennial men. “Women love guys with dimples,” explains Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Payman Simoni. “Men think that people will perceive them to be cuter in the face because dimples give them a sense of innocence, which all begins with the smile.”
Case in point: Five years ago, zero percent of Simoni’s dimpleplasty procedures were done on men. One in five are now.
I recently spoke with Simoni about millennial men’s quest for cleft jowls (aka dimples). Here are six things I learned:
1) Dimples are actually a defect.
“It’s the best facial defect humans can have,” Simoni says — a genetic imperfection in the buccal (cheek) muscle that causes a small indent to appear whenever a person smiles.
2) Artificial dimples are created by mimicking nature.
First, Simoni creates a tiny hole in the buccal muscle and uses sutures to connect the skin to that defect. This way, the dimple only appears when the person smiles, which Simoni says is the mark of a successful dimpleplasty. “Dimples are more functional than just a hole in the face,” Simoni explains.
3) There are risks involved in creating artificial dents in your face.
Like any plastic surgery, Simoni says, infection is a risk. “The parotid [salivary] glands are also very close to where dimples should be and must be identified and avoided when making any incisions. You definitely don’t want to destroy them.”
4) Dimples are aspirational.
When celebrities have dimples, people want them, Simoni notes. “If a movie comes starring someone with dimples like Brad Pitt or Joseph Gordon Levitt, I see an increase in men requesting that look.”
5) Dimpleplasty breaks plastic surgery rules about the importance of symmetry.
Humans are always seeking perfection, Simoni explains, which is why dimpleplasty is such an outlier. “Dimples are the opposite of perfection: They’re a defect! People are usually looking for symmetry with plastic surgery, but most guys only want one dimple!”
6) You might get natural dimples with age.
As men age, they lose cheek fat, Simoni says, and round faces become longer. As a result, mild dimples become more pronounced after age 40.
In other words, to put a new spin on an old maxim: Age for beauty. Or at the very least, age before surgery.
C. Brian Smith
C. Brian Smith writes hard-hitting gonzo features for MEL, whether it be training with a masturbation coach, receiving psycho corporal treatment from a spank therapist, or embarking on a week-long pleasure cruise with 75 Santa Clauses following their busy season.
