Highlighting dimpleplasty

OP. DR. YUNUS DOĞAN

All about

They say beauty is only skin deep but just how deep are we talking? Are we stopping at the top layer, the epidermis? Should we proceed to the dermis, cozy in the middle? Or does beauty run through to the third later, the hypodermis? Let’s take it all the way past the hypodermis today, where we discuss the manufacturing of dimples.

Many cultures have positive reactions to dimples. Asians might consider them lucky. Americans definitely think they’re super cute on round-cheeked babies with their cherubian faces. Arabian culture marvels at the beauty dimples bestow.

Even though they are considered a sign of baby fat when we’re younger, dimples somehow retain their attractive nature, evolving from gushy “aren’t you cute?” vibes to passionate “aren’t you a smokeshow?!” lasers as dimpled people age. Dimples can help a person appear youthful and more approachable.

But similar to perky breasts and full heads of hair, some of us aren’t so lucky to be blessed with the dimps. If you can have plastic surgery and get breast implants and a hair transplant, why not get some dimples too?

This article is the sixteenth in a series highlighting some of the most popular plastic surgery procedures. In the Highlighting series, we tell you ALL the alternative names of the surgery so you learn the medical terminology as well as develop a little street cred with slang terms. We share a little history of the procedure and describe the general process. We mention possible complications and give you an idea of the typical recovery time.

Also known as/similar or related names are:

Buccinator muscle, dimple surgery, fovea buccalis, gelasin.

First recorded

The earliest documentation of dimpleplasty was captured in Dr. Charles Conrad Miller’s “The Correction of Featural Imperfections” in 1908. Dr. Miller describes his technique as well as preparation of the surgical area.

Then in 1962, Singaporean doctor Khoo Boo-Chai spent significant facetime with 500 females aged 1 to 50. He studied the location of their dimples and discovered that a majority were located in a similar spot on the cheek. To map out this spot, draw a perpendicular line from the outer corner of the eye. Trace a horizontal line from the corner of the mouth until it meets this perpendicular line and that’s the sweet spot for your sweet dent. Since Dr. Boo-Chai discovered this area, it became known as the KBC point. For pictures illustrating the KBC, read this article by the National Library of Medicine.

General process

Unless combined with another, more complicated plastic surgery, a dimpleplasty is performed under local anesthesia. Once you’re comfortable and appropriately sedated, your surgeon has a couple options based on preferred technique: internal or external incisions.

As Medical News Today shares, your surgeon may make an incision to intentionally scar the outside of your cheek. This incision will receive a suture or surgical knot within to pull your skin down, creating your new dimple.

Or your surgeon will make an incision inside your cheek. He or she may remove some tissue to create a concavity and then attach a suture to the area of the incision to pull your epidermis in and attach it to the buccinator muscle. While it does sound like a fast food sandwich available on a value menu, the buccinator is what you use when you chew, swallow, blow a kiss and suck on a straw.

All sutures located in your mouth should dissolve on their own but check with your surgeon to be certain. Since this procedure is performed under local anesthesia, you will be up and on your way home the same day.

What could go wrong?

Complications that may occur include:

• Swelling - can be helped with anti-inflammatory drugs and ice packs (with your doctor’s approval.)
• Bleeding at the suture site - some bleeding is normal, as you’ve just had your cheek sliced into. Excessive bleeding should be reported to your doctor ASAP.
• Infection - all surgeries run the risk of infection but you can do your part to avoid it by keeping that mouth clean.

What could go right?

With your surgeon’s permission, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear about:

• The smiles that are reflexively mirrored to you by complete strangers on the street.
• The sudden increase in your face value in terms of luck and love (according to what the Internet says about some cultures.)
• The way you feel when you look in the mirror.

Recovery time

Most patients return to work or school just two days after their procedure. We know you may be happy and excited about your results but try not to smile fully for the first two weeks after your procedure. Proper oral hygiene is paramount during this time to reduce the risk of infection. Your surgeon will have specific instructions and suggestions for you to follow as you recover.

The last stitch

In other surgeries similar to dimpleplasty, your plastic surgeon can thin out those cheeks with a bichectomy. Dimpleplasty isn’t considered a common or significantly popular procedure but do you know of any other unusual plastic surgeries? Test your aesthetic intelligence with our quiz.

Reasons why people choose plastic surgery are varied and can be debatable. Ranging from medically necessary reconstructive procedures like cleft palate repair and skin grafts to aesthetic procedures like breast implants and Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs,) plastic surgery can be a solution to many different types of problems.