Cheek Dimpleplasty: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Dimpleplasty is the surgical creation of dimples on the face for aesthetic purposes. Dimples have been associated with a sign of beauty and even good fortune in some cultures and have also found themselves in Western cultures. Since the first described procedure of cheek dimple creation in 1962, there have been multiple studies on the topic. The aim of this article is to review the literature on the anatomy, creation, postoperative care, and complications associated with cheek dimpleplasty. The authors performed a literature review that focused on cheek dimpleplasty. EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Ovid Medicine, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases were searched from its inception to July 2019. Peer-reviewed articles published in the English language were included. Our search in the various databases yielded multiple publications. There were different described techniques published on the determination of the ideal site for a cheek dimple. There were also multiple procedures described for the creation of cheek dimples. The basic tenet of cheek dimple creation is to create an adhesion between the dermis and buccinator muscle to create a dynamic dimple which is present on facial animation. Multiple procedures have been reported with few reported complications. Patient satisfaction is dependent on appropriate determination of the site and morphology of the dimple. Most of the complications associated with cheek dimple creation are minor, easily managed, and avoided by understanding the regional anatomy and attention to meticulous surgical technique.

Cheek Dimpleplasty: A New Classification of Described Procedures

“…The ultimate aim of a dimpleplasty is to create a naturally appearing dynamic dimple with few or no complications, and relative technical ease. Two recent articles by Kumar et al 14 and Opoku-Agyeman et al 15 found dimpleplasties to be safe but associated with some minor complications.…”