Removing dimples depends on what kind you’re dealing with. Facial cheek dimples are caused by a split in a muscle that pulls on your skin when you smile, and they can be softened with fillers or minor surgery. Skin dimpling on the body, commonly called cellulite, involves a completely different structure and has its own set of treatments. Both types are treatable, though neither has a single perfect fix.
What Causes Facial Dimples
Cheek dimples form because of a structural quirk in the muscle responsible for pulling your mouth upward when you smile. In most people, this muscle runs as a single band from the cheekbone to the corner of the mouth. In people with dimples, the muscle splits into two bundles partway along its path. The lower bundle has an attachment point to the underside of the skin, creating a tethering effect. When you smile and the muscle contracts, it pulls the skin inward at that attachment point, producing the visible indent.
Because the cause is muscular and structural, dimples don’t respond to exercises, massage, or topical products. Any meaningful reduction requires either filling the depression or releasing the tethered tissue beneath the skin.
Fillers for Facial Dimples
The most common nonsurgical approach to softening a cheek dimple is injecting a hyaluronic acid filler directly into the depression. Medium-density fillers work best here because they provide enough volume to counteract the pull of the tethered muscle without creating a stiff or unnatural look. The procedure takes minutes and results are immediate.
The main drawback is durability. Hyaluronic acid fillers typically last no more than six months before the body breaks them down. That means repeat treatments to maintain the effect. For people who want to test whether they’d like a smoother cheek before committing to surgery, fillers serve as a low-risk trial run. If you don’t like the result, the filler dissolves on its own.
Surgical Dimple Reduction
For a more lasting result, a surgeon can release the scar tissue or muscle attachment that tethers the skin. This is typically done through a small incision inside the mouth, so there’s no visible scar on the face. The tethered tissue is freed, and a small amount of filler (often hyaluronic acid) is injected into the resulting gap to prevent the tissue from reattaching as it heals. In documented cases, about half a milliliter of filler was enough to partially reduce a dimple after the internal release.
Full elimination isn’t always guaranteed. The degree of improvement depends on how deep the original tethering is and how the tissue heals. Some people see a significant flattening of the dimple, while others achieve a noticeable but partial reduction. Because this is a relatively uncommon procedure, finding a surgeon with specific experience in dimple revision matters more than usual.
Body Dimpling: A Different Problem
Dimpling on the thighs, buttocks, and abdomen is cellulite, and it has nothing to do with the facial muscle anatomy described above. Cellulite forms when tough bands of connective tissue pull the skin downward while fat pushes upward between them, creating a quilted or “orange peel” texture. It affects roughly 80 to 90 percent of women after puberty and is influenced by genetics, hormones, and skin structure far more than by body weight or fitness level.
Subcision for Cellulite Dimples
Subcision targets the root cause of cellulite dimpling: the fibrous bands pulling the skin down. A practitioner inserts a small needle or blade beneath the skin and cuts those bands, releasing the tension and allowing the skin to spring back to a smoother surface. Several variations exist, including manual subcision, vacuum-assisted, laser-assisted, and acoustic (sound wave) methods.
This approach works best for individual, well-defined dimples rather than widespread, diffuse cellulite. Results can be long-lasting because the severed bands don’t always regrow, though new dimples can form over time as skin ages and loses elasticity.
Energy-Based Treatments
Radiofrequency and laser devices heat the deeper layers of skin to stimulate collagen production and tighten tissue. In clinical use, radiofrequency microneedling applied over two sessions (spaced about five months apart) improved both the depth of cellulite depressions and overall skin laxity. Broader studies of radiofrequency alone (without microneedling) have shown roughly 50 percent improvement in cellulite appearance after eight treatment sessions.
These treatments require patience. Collagen remodeling happens gradually, so visible results build over weeks to months after each session. They tend to work best as a complement to subcision rather than a standalone fix for deep dimpling.
Acoustic Wave Therapy
Acoustic wave therapy uses targeted sound pulses to disrupt the fibrous bands beneath the skin and improve blood flow to the area. In a trial of 30 women with moderate to severe cellulite, 12 sessions over six weeks reduced the proportion of participants with severe cellulite from 60 percent to 38 percent. Hip circumference also decreased by about 3 centimeters on average, and subcutaneous fat thickness dropped slightly. Notably, 90 percent of participants said they would repeat the treatment, suggesting the results were noticeable enough to feel worthwhile.
The effects are moderate rather than dramatic. Acoustic wave therapy is best suited for people looking to improve, rather than eliminate, visible cellulite dimpling.
Topical Creams: What They Can Actually Do
Over-the-counter cellulite creams containing caffeine, retinol, and similar active ingredients can modestly improve skin texture when used consistently. In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial of 78 women, a cream combining caffeine, retinol, and several other compounds produced visible improvement in orange-peel texture starting at four weeks, with skin firmness improving by eight weeks. Eight of thirteen measured skin parameters showed significant improvement compared to placebo.
These products don’t eliminate dimples. They temporarily tighten the skin’s surface and improve hydration, which reduces the contrast between raised and depressed areas. The effect fades when you stop using them. Think of topical creams as maintenance rather than treatment.
Choosing the Right Approach
For facial dimples, the decision is straightforward: fillers for a temporary, reversible change, or surgical release for something more permanent. Many people start with fillers to see how they feel about a smoother cheek before deciding whether to pursue surgery.
For body dimpling, the choice depends on how localized the problem is. A few deep, distinct dimples respond well to subcision. Widespread cellulite texture is better addressed with a combination of energy-based treatments and consistent topical care. Acoustic wave therapy sits in the middle, offering moderate improvement without needles or downtime. No single treatment eliminates cellulite entirely, but combining approaches tends to produce the most noticeable results.