Dimples are relatively uncommon, though exact numbers depend on the type. Cheek dimples appear in a minority of people worldwide, with most estimates placing them in roughly 20 to 30 percent of the population. They’re common enough that most people know someone with them, but uncommon enough to be considered a distinctive feature. Chin dimples and back dimples each have their own separate frequencies.
What Actually Causes Cheek Dimples
Cheek dimples aren’t a defect or an indentation in bone. They’re caused by a variation in one of the muscles you use to smile. In most people, the major cheek muscle (zygomaticus major) runs as a single band from the cheekbone down to the corner of the mouth. In people with dimples, this muscle splits into two bundles partway through its course: one inserts above the corner of the mouth and the other below it.
The key detail is that the lower bundle has a small attachment to the skin along its middle section, tethering the skin to the muscle beneath it. When a person with this anatomy smiles, the muscle pulls on that tethered spot and creates the visible dip. This is why dimples typically only appear during facial expressions and aren’t visible on a relaxed face, though in some people they’re present at rest too.
One Side or Both Sides
If you’ve noticed that plenty of people seem to have a dimple on only one cheek, that’s not your imagination. A study published in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery found that among people with cheek dimples, about 73 percent had a dimple on just one side. Only 27 percent had matching dimples on both cheeks. Bilateral, symmetrical dimples, the kind often depicted in illustrations, are actually the less common version of an already uncommon trait.
Are Dimples Inherited?
Dimples are generally described as a dominant genetic trait, meaning you’d only need to inherit the relevant gene variant from one parent to develop them. That’s the textbook explanation you’ll find in most biology classes. The reality is murkier. The National Institutes of Health notes that while dimples are “usually considered” dominant, some researchers say there’s no solid proof they follow a simple inheritance pattern. Very little genetic research has been done on dimples specifically, and the gene or genes responsible haven’t been identified.
What this means in practical terms: if one or both of your parents have dimples, you’re more likely to have them, but it’s not guaranteed. And two parents without dimples can occasionally have a child with them, which wouldn’t happen with a straightforward dominant trait. The inheritance pattern is likely more complex than a single gene switch.
Chin Dimples (Cleft Chins)
Chin dimples, or cleft chins, are a completely different feature with a different cause. Rather than a muscle variation, a cleft chin results from the two halves of the jawbone not fully fusing during development, leaving a visible groove or indentation in the chin’s center.
Their frequency varies dramatically across populations. Studies of Indian populations found rates ranging from 4 percent to as high as 71 percent depending on the specific group. In a German population study, 9.6 percent of men and 4.5 percent of women had cleft chins. Interestingly, cleft chins can become more noticeable with age. One study found that about 5 percent of Indian boys aged 6 to 10 had a cleft chin, compared to 10 percent of men over 35, suggesting that changes in facial structure and soft tissue over time can make a subtle cleft more visible.
Back Dimples
Back dimples, sometimes called the dimples of Venus, are the two small indentations that appear on the lower back just above the buttocks, right where the spine meets the pelvis. These are more common than cheek dimples. One study of 370 patients found back dimples in about 42 percent of participants. Their cause appears to be related to variation in the muscles and ligaments at the base of the spine rather than the skin-tethering mechanism behind cheek dimples. Research has linked their presence to certain structural features of the pelvis and lower spine, including a steeper pelvic angle.
Can Dimples Disappear Over Time?
Some people notice their dimples becoming less prominent or vanishing entirely as they get older. This makes sense given the mechanism behind them. Since cheek dimples depend on a muscle pulling on skin, anything that changes the relationship between those structures can affect visibility. Weight gain adds subcutaneous fat to the cheeks, which can fill in the depression. Loss of skin elasticity with aging can also reduce the tethering effect. Children sometimes have dimples that fade as their face grows and the proportions between muscle, fat, and skin shift. The underlying muscle variation is still there, but the visible dimple may not be.
Surgical Dimple Creation
For those who want dimples but weren’t born with them, dimpleplasty is a cosmetic procedure that has gained popularity. It’s done under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure, typically taking about 30 minutes. A small core of tissue is removed from the inside of the cheek, and a suture connects the cheek muscle to the inner surface of the skin, mimicking the natural tethering that causes real dimples.
The procedure is considered low risk. Bleeding is uncommon, infection is rare with proper aftercare, and nerve injury is extremely unusual. However, complications do happen. One published case involved a 27-year-old woman who developed abscesses in both cheeks about 10 days after surgery performed at another facility, with swelling significant enough to restrict her ability to open her mouth. The initial result of dimpleplasty is a dimple that’s visible all the time, even without smiling. Over several weeks, scar tissue forms and the dimple typically becomes more natural-looking, appearing mainly with facial expressions.