There is no proven method to create permanent dimples without surgery. Natural dimples are caused by a specific anatomical variation in a facial muscle, and no exercise, tool, or piercing can reliably replicate that structure. That said, there are several non-surgical approaches people try, ranging from cosmetic tricks to semi-permanent procedures, and it helps to understand what each one can and cannot do.
Why Some People Have Dimples Naturally
Dimples form because of a structural quirk in the main smiling muscle, which runs from the cheekbone down to the corner of the mouth. In most people, this muscle is a single band. In people with dimples, the muscle splits into two bundles partway down. The lower bundle has a point where it attaches directly to the skin, tethering it inward. When the muscle contracts during a smile, that tethered spot gets pulled, creating the visible indentation.
This trait tends to run in families and is generally considered dominant, meaning you only need to inherit the variation from one parent to develop dimples. But genetics research on dimples is surprisingly thin, and scientists haven’t pinpointed the exact gene responsible. Some people develop dimples as children and lose them as their face changes with age, while others keep them for life.
Facial Exercises Won’t Create Dimples
The most commonly suggested DIY method involves pressing a pencil or finger into your cheek and smiling repeatedly, sometimes for 20 to 30 minutes a day. The idea is that sustained pressure combined with muscle contractions will eventually create a lasting indentation. This does not work.
The core problem is anatomical. Dimples result from a muscle that is physically split and anchored to the skin from underneath. No amount of external pressing can change the structure of a muscle or create a new attachment point between muscle and skin. Facial muscles pull on skin that is elastic and gives way easily. Repeated contractions stretch skin rather than reshape it. Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Boston University School of Medicine, has described facial muscle workouts as ineffective for changing facial structure. The same logic applies to dimple exercises: you cannot press a permanent dent into living tissue from the outside.
Cheek Piercings: Temporary and Risky
Some people get cheek piercings placed at the spot where a natural dimple would sit, hoping that the scar tissue left behind after removing the jewelry will mimic a dimple. This approach carries real risks that go beyond a typical ear or nose piercing.
The cheek contains the parotid duct, a tube that carries saliva from the largest salivary gland into the mouth. A piercing that nicks this duct can cause chronic saliva leakage, infection, or cyst formation. The nerve branch that controls upper lip movement runs alongside this duct, and injuries to the duct involve nerve damage in more than half of cases. Even without those complications, cheek piercings are notoriously slow to heal and prone to infection because they sit in tissue that moves constantly during eating and talking.
As for the scarring strategy, the results are unpredictable. Scar tissue may form as a flat, discolored patch rather than a clean indentation. You cannot control the depth, shape, or symmetry of scars, and the “dimple” effect, if any, typically fades as scars mature and soften over months to years.
Suction Devices and Dimple Trainers
Various products marketed as “dimple trainers” use suction cups or spring-loaded tips pressed against the cheeks. The claim is that consistent daily use will train the skin to hold an indentation. These devices can leave a temporary mark that lasts a few minutes to a few hours, similar to the impression left by sleeping on a crumpled pillowcase. Once the tissue rebounds, the mark disappears. No clinical evidence supports the idea that repeated suction can permanently alter skin or the connective tissue beneath it.
Dermal Fillers: Semi-Permanent at Best
Some cosmetic practitioners use injectable fillers to create a dimple-like effect. The technique typically involves injecting a hyaluronic acid filler around (not into) the target spot, building up the surrounding cheek volume so the dimple area appears relatively indented by contrast. Other approaches use a needle to break up the connective tissue under the skin at the dimple point, sometimes combined with a small filler injection, to create a tethering effect as the tissue heals.
These methods can produce a visible result, but they are not permanent. Hyaluronic acid fillers are gradually absorbed by the body, and most injectable procedures in this category last six months or less before the effect fades. You would need repeated treatments to maintain the look, and each round comes with the typical risks of injectables: bruising, asymmetry, and the small chance of vascular complications in a sensitive area of the face.
Makeup Techniques for a Dimple Effect
If you want the look of dimples without any physical changes, makeup is the most straightforward option. The technique is simple: smile wide in a mirror to identify where a natural dimple would sit (roughly an inch from each corner of your mouth, on the fullest part of your cheek). Using a brown eyeliner pencil or brow pencil, draw a small half-circle or curved line at that spot. Blend the edges with a small brush so the mark looks like a shadow rather than a line. The darker shade creates the illusion of depth, mimicking the way a real dimple casts a subtle shadow when you smile.
This only works while the makeup is on, obviously, but it carries zero risk and lets you experiment with placement before committing to anything more involved.
Why “Permanent Without Surgery” Is Unlikely
The fundamental challenge is that a natural dimple is an internal structural feature. It exists because muscle fibers are physically tethered to the underside of the skin. Recreating that connection requires reaching the layer between muscle and skin, which is, by definition, a surgical act. Dimpleplasty, the surgical procedure, involves making a small incision inside the mouth and placing a suture that connects the inner cheek muscle to the skin surface. It takes about 20 minutes, uses local anesthesia, and produces permanent results. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons notes that results cannot be reversed, so candidates need to be sure about placement and symmetry before proceeding.
Every non-surgical alternative either produces a temporary effect (makeup, fillers, suction) or carries significant risks without reliable outcomes (piercings). If permanent dimples are the goal, there is currently no way to achieve that without some form of surgical intervention. The non-surgical options work best when you think of them as cosmetic tools for occasional use rather than permanent solutions.