Beauty creators on TikTok are advertising $20 'dimple makers' and $1,500 dimple creation surgeries
Many beauty publications, brands and creators have promoted the “fake freckles” trend for the past few years — inspiring freckle pens and tattoo procedures. Now it seems another facial feature is grabbing the attention of beauty TikTokers: dimples.
Facial dimples are an abnormality of muscles that causes a dent in the cheek and affects about 20% to 30% of the world’s population. For many, they are a symbol of cuteness and attractiveness, as evidenced by the many K-pop idol fan edits and Reddit threads dedicated to performers with dimples.
Some plastic surgeons offer dimpleplasty procedures, or dimple creation surgeries, that take about 30 minutes to complete with minimal recovery time. Dimpleplasties cost about $1,550.
Dimpleplasty started to take off in popularity in 2017. Double-board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Wright Jones told Allure at the time that requests for the surgery had “almost tripled” because patients liked that it “enhanced facial aesthetics” without a lengthy recovery time or need for general anesthesia.
But for dimple fans who are unsure about undergoing a permanent procedure, there are also “dimple maker” products that form temporary indents in the user’s cheeks. The tool — which costs between $15 and $20 on most Etsy sites — has a curved wire with balls on the ends that pinch the inside and outside of the cheeks.
By compressing the inside and outside of the fat and skin in the cheeks, the dimple maker is causing ischemia, which means it’s depriving the area of blood flow. That’s what is creating the temporary dimple.
Dimple-making gadgets aren’t new. The Atlantic reported that a woman named Isabella Gilbert invented a spring-loaded “dimple machine” in 1936 that looks similar to the modern-day version — although it wasn’t successful at the time.
Almost 90 years later, the hashtag #dimplemakers has more than 60 million views on TikTok. Users have been documenting regular usage of their dimple makers, encouraging one another to buy the product if they want dimples too.
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Shari Sperling told In The Know that the dimple makers looked “painful” and that she “would not recommend this as a treatment to use at home.”
“There can be risks of infection and/or puncturing skin or oral mucosa,” she explained. “Oral mucosa” is the name for the skin lining inside the mouth, around the cheeks and lips.
Other negative effects of wearing the gadget for too long include potentially inflicting nerve damage or necrosis, the death of fat tissue, which can result in a large lump forming on the inside of the user’s mouth.
The increasing interest in the dimples aesthetic has also had side effects on social media, as some creators with natural dimples have been accused of faking them.
For those who are skeptical about dimple makers, there are still plenty of beauty tutorials online dedicated to faking them with makeup.
In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News — follow us here!
The post What is the ‘dimple maker’ beauty creators are using to fake dimples? Is it safe? appeared first on In The Know.
More from In The Know:
Women on TikTok are sharing their breast reduction stories and how it's changed their lives
What is 'beauty tourism'? TikToker travels over 6,000 miles for hair extensions
