What is a “dimple”?
Dimples are depressions in the skin which occur because of an anomaly of some of the facial muscles either congenitally or genetically. Cheek dimples usually become more evident when mimics are made.
Why is dimple aesthetics needed?
Unilateral or bilateral dimples on the cheeks; makes the smile appear more prominent, the face more cute, sympathetic, and attractive.
How is dimple aesthetics done?
Before dimple aesthetics (“Dimpleplasty”), the patient and the doctor decide on the unilateral or bilateral placement, size, and location of the dimples. Depending on this, some markings are made. Dimpleplasty is a procedure that can be easily performed under local anesthesia. It is incised intraorally, depending on the drawing and markings. With tissue removal and suture applications, a depression, or dimple, is created on the skin in the desired size. Then the incision inside the mouth is repaired with absorbable sutures. The operation time for one side is 15 minutes on average.
How is the post-operative period after dimple creation surgery?
Since dimple aesthetics is performed under local anesthesia, the postoperative period is relatively easy. After the procedure you can be discharged and the next day you can return to social life. Minimal pain is expected after the effect of local anesthetic disappears and the pain will respond quite well to the painkillers that will be prescribed to you. Edema around the cheek, which will disappear in a short time, is another condition that can be seen. Since the procedure is done inside the mouth, feeding with soft foods and oral care with mouthwash/sprays in the first days will accelerate the healing. The sutures are absorbable and do not need to be removed.
Are created dimples permanent?
In the early post-operative period, the dimples will appear deeper than they should be and these dimples will be static, so they will be visible even if no mimics are made. Within 3 weeks – 1 month, the depth of the dimples decreases and the dimples become visible with mimics and look natural. After reaching this stage, the dimples are permanent. However, in rare cases, the depth and visibility of the dimples may be lost. When such a situation is encountered, a new procedure is recommended to the patients.
What procedures can dimple aesthetics be combined with?
Dimples may not look natural on overly full cheeks. Therefore, in order to reduce the cheek volume, Bichectomy (buccal fat removal) operation can be performed before or together with dimple aesthetics. (See Bichectomy (Buccal Fat Removal) Section).
Will there be any scars after dimple creation?
The procedure is performed with a millimetric incision made inside the mouth. Therefore, there is no visible scar from the outside. Thanks to the good healing capacity of the oral mucosa, the scar inside the mouth will heal well and will not be visible.
What are the problems encountered after dimple aesthetics?
Minimal pain and minimal edema are the most common conditions after the procedure. These will disappear in the early post-operative period. Other situations that can be encountered are asymmetry and loss of permanence of dimples. These situations may be due to many factors and may require re-intervention when encountered. Nerve damage is extremely rare.
Summary
Dimple creation is one of the relatively simple operations of aesthetic surgery that can be easily performed under local anesthesia. The recovery period and the return to social life are quite fast. It should not be forgotten that dimples are deeper than they should be right after they are made, and they are visible even if no facial expressions are made. The created dimples are going to take a much more natural appearance over time (approximately 3 weeks – 1 month). Dimple aesthetics are permanent, but in some cases, it may need to be repeated. Best regards.
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