The Different Kinds of Dimples: Types, Causes, & Social Perception

For as much as we find dimples cute or attractive, we actually don’t know a whole lot about them or why they form! Most researchers and scientists say they’re genetic, and cheek dimples are usually the result of a muscle that splits before birth. We’ll tell you more about what dimples are, what causes them, the different types of facial and body dimples, and answer your burning questions about this rare and adorable trait.

Common Types of Facial Dimples

Longitudinal dimples
Static dimples
Bilateral cheek dimples
Dimple pairs
Cleft chins

Section 1 of 7:

Types of Cheek & Facial Dimples

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This is the most common kind of dimple. It looks like a vertical impression on the cheek and is most visible when smiling.^{[1]
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Research source} These are different than the lines made by your mouth and cheek when smiling, and they usually show up a little bit to the side of this line.
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Transverse or horizontal dimples These are just like longitudinal dimples but appear horizontally rather than vertically as a result of how the zygomaticus major split.

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Static & dynamic dimples Most dimples only appear, or become much more visible, when a person is smiling. These are called dynamic dimples since they change with facial movement. Static dimples, though, are always visible, even when the face is resting.^{[2]
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Research source} Usually, static dimples are created through surgery, but they may also be natural.
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Fovea buccalis These are dimples that occur higher on the cheek and closer to the corners of the mouth. They aren’t typically as deep or as common as other kinds of dimples.^{[3]
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Bilateral and unilateral dimples These terms describe how many dimples someone has, and where. Bilateral dimples occur on both sides, while a unilateral dimple is a dimple that only shows on one side of the face or on one cheek.^{[4]
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Lower cheek dimples This simply describes dimples that appear lower on the cheek than usual.
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Dimple pairs Most people have just 1 dimple per cheek, but very rarely, someone might have 2 dimples on the same cheek. This is a dimple pair!
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Double dimples A dimple pair is rare enough, but a double dimple is even rarer. This is when someone has 2 separate sets of dimples, not just 2 matching dimples.
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Faux dimples While most dimples occur naturally, some people have cosmetic surgery done to get dimples where they didn’t have them before. These are sometimes called faux, or fake, dimples.
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Dahlia dimples Dahlia dimples are a more recent social media trend. People claim to have dimples near where their cheeks crease when they smile (a.k.a. “smile line”). Some people call this a “Dahlia dimple.” While it’s possible to have a small dimple near your smile line, in most cases, this is actually just a smile line.
- To check, smile in the mirror. If the crease is where your cheek folds to meet the area near your mouth, that’s a smile line. If the dimple is on a flat area of skin, it may be a Dahlia dimple.
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Cleft chin A cleft chin, sometimes (unkindly) called a “butt chin,” is a dimple that forms on a person’s chin. These dimples are caused by a jaw bone that hasn’t completely fused, and the skin clings to the depression formed by the small gap. They’re also totally natural and harmless and sometimes considered very attractive.^{[5]
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- This is also sometimes referred to as “fovea mentalis.”
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Fovea inferior This is a super rare kind of chin dimple that occurs just under the corner of the mouth. Not many cases have been recorded, and they’re most visible when the person is smiling.^{[6]
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Section 2 of 7:

Types of Body Dimples

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Back dimples These are also sometimes called Dimples of Venus, Veneral dimples, or butt dimples. They’re usually formed as a pair, just above either buttocks and inward toward the butt crack. They’re usually the indentation of the skin where the sacrum (the origin of the tailbone) connects to the pelvis.^{[7]
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- Back dimples, like face dimples, are often considered attractive.
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Sacral dimples These dimples are most commonly found on newborns and are located just above the crease of the butt. They’re usually harmless and often go away over time, but they may stick around. Researchers still aren’t sure what causes them.^{[8]
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- If a sacral dimple is accompanied by other unusual features, like a patch of thick hair or a skin tag, it may indicate spinal problems.
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Cellulite Cellulite forms as fat deposits beneath the skin gather, and the connective tissue connecting these deposits to the skin causes rippled, bumpy, or dimply areas, often on the thighs or buttocks. It’s most common in women, though men can have it too, and it’s completely natural, and possibly even more common than standard dimples.^{[9]
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- Some people prefer to get rid of their cellulite, but it’s not necessary, since cellulite isn’t harmful in any way.
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Other body dimples Since a dimple is simply a depression in the skin, they can occur pretty much anywhere on your body, and for a number of different reasons. You might have shoulder dimples where your shoulder muscles overlap and connect, or elbow dimples where the bone pushes past the muscle.
- Or, maybe you have some muscle scarring that causes indents on your thighs, biceps, or anywhere else. Those are dimples, too!

Section 3 of 7:

What are dimples?

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A dimple is a natural indentation in the skin. You usually see dimples on people’s faces—most often on their cheeks, and when they smile. Not everybody has them. In fact, most people don’t. Dimples come in all different shapes and sizes and can occur in many different places on the body.^{[10]
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- Most people with dimples were born with them. That said, dimples can also develop for many different reasons.
- Sometimes, dimples can be a sign of a health complication or condition, especially when the dimple is new or appears suddenly.

Section 4 of 7:

What causes dimples?

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Many researchers think dimples are a genetic trait. Like your hair color or your height, many doctors believe that dimples are a dominant genetic trait, meaning that if one of your parents has dimples, you’re likely (but not guaranteed) to also have dimples. That said, not every researcher or doctor is convinced, and some say they may have other causes that aren’t hereditary.^{[11]
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- There’s a surprising lack of research on what exactly causes dimples to form, which is why there isn’t much of a consensus.
- That said, dimples are not considered birth defects, and are completely normal and natural.^{[12]
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Most dimples are the result of a split muscle or bone gap. This is especially true of cheek dimples. With cheek dimples, the muscle that controls the edges of your mouth, the zygomaticus major, can split in two before someone is born. The result of that split is a dimple, or a depression where the top and bottom of the muscle has separated.^{[13]
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- There’s rarely any downside to a dimple caused by a split muscle, and usually that muscle functions perfectly normally.
- Other dimples, like a cleft chin, are caused by an unfused bone beneath the surface of the skin. The skin hugs this cleft, creating a depression.

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Are dimples a good thing?

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Dimples are often considered attractive, and sometimes lucky. In many cultures, dimples, and especially facial dimples, are considered an attractive trait. They’re considered interesting, cute, handsome, and rare. Some cultures consider them lucky or a sign that a baby will have good fortune, while others consider them the mark of a hero or a morally good person.^{[14]
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- Of course, that’s mostly superstition and tradition! Having dimples doesn’t necessarily make you luckier or better than other people.

Section 6 of 7:

How rare are dimples?

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Only 20-30% of people have facial dimples. Overall, dimples are pretty rare! Again, there’s not a whole lot of research, but experts estimate that anywhere from 1 in 5 to 1 in 3 people have dimples, meaning most people don’t.^{[15]
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Research source} And that’s just facial dimples—there aren’t many reliable numbers for body dimples, which are probably much more rare, since body dimples are often covered, and people may not even realize they have them.
- Dimples on a single cheek are rarer than pairs of dimples, but there aren’t many reliable research sources that give solid numbers for this statistic.

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Can you develop dimples later in life?

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A baby with dimples might lose their dimples as it grows and the fat in its face is redistributed. Or, someone who didn’t have dimples before can develop them later as their body changes. Some say dimples can be tied to your weight or muscle definition, but again, there’s not much research to verify these claims.^{[16]
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Dimples can also be gotten through surgery. Modern medicine is able to create dimples through cosmetic surgery. In most procedures, a simple stitch is inserted under the skin to tether the cheek to the underlying muscles, creating a dimple.^{[17]
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Research source} Licensed esthetician Jessica Lu tells us that sometimes, this procedure is supplemented by facial fillers to make the new dimple more noticeable.
- Some say you can do face exercises or use products to get dimples naturally, but these are mostly folk remedies, and results don’t often last more than a few minutes.