Whats the Deal With Dimples?
Simply put, cheek dimples are small depressions in the skin near the mouth. There’s still some disagreement on exactly how they form, but safe to say, they’re caused by variations in a key facial muscle called the zygomaticus major. (Note that chin dimples are caused by different factors than cheek dimples — more on this in a future article.) Dimples are inherited via dominant genes, meaning when parents have dimples it’s very likely their children will have them as well. Most people have two dimples, one on each cheek, but it’s not unusual for a person to have just one. It’s a bit of a mystery why cheek dimples are viewed so favorably by almost everyone. It’s likely a combination of factors. For one thing, dimples are most apparent when people smile. If they showed up when people frowned, would they be popular? Not so much. Perhaps even more to the point, dimples are often most prominent in young children, and what’s cuter than a happy child sporting a dimpled smile? Many kids with di
