Have dimples, look great

Dimples on the cheeks give a cute look. Women crave for it. Even men are going
in for facial surgeries to have that amazing smile, says Hector Choksi

VeRY few people are adorned with dimples on their cheeks, and the ones who have them, have an amazing smile. Now there have been advancements in cosmetic procedures where one can have dimples on the cheeks with a simple procedure.

Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham and Arjun Rampal have it. Now other Indian men want it, too. Call it metrosexual`A0 mania or a craze for movie star looks, but an ever-increasing number of men are willing to go under the scalpel for a dimpled smile, just like their idols. According to a noted plastic surgeon, Dr Suresh Mehta of Mumbai, an increasing number of men have been found approaching plastic surgeons, asking them to carry out cosmetic surgeries on their cheeks and construct dimples like those of Bollywood actors.

"Among the men and women who come to me for cosmetic surgery, I found a large number of them fascinated by the dimples of Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan, and want me to construct dimples on their cheeks," said Dr Chandra Parekh, another noted cosmetic surgeon of the city.
It is not just the youngsters who want to ape the cine stars and models, even older people crave to look like them. What is interesting is that most men keen to undergo surgeries for dimples are engaged to be married.
In fact, a 50-plus man, who was getting remarried, asked me to do facial surgery on him and give him the dimples of Shah Rukh Khan, Parekh said.

Dimple creation has been around, and has been a hit with young women for the past five years, but recently men have started asking for it, too, said Dr Harish Upadhyaya, consultant cosmetic surgeon, New Cosmetic Clinic of Mumbai. Of 10 dimple-creation surgeries Upadhyaya has performed in the past one year , eight have been on men.

For male models working in the advertising industry, their dream is of moving to Mumbai and making it big, if not in the film world. "I have been working as a model in New Delhi for the last three years," said a city youth, Vimal Mukerji. "Now I am thinking of shifting to Mumbai and launching my career there. But before I go, I will give myself a dimpled face. The reason is that people go crazy over dimples. Just look at John Abraham."

There are two procedures available — surgery and laser. "In the laser method, after anaesthesia, the fat around the cheek is burnt from the inside. In surgery, the fat is removed from inside and the cheek is stitched. Laser is the better way to do it because there is less pain and bleeding.

The surgical procedure takes 30 minutes for one cheek. The technique involves simulating the natural way a dimple is formed by connecting the skin and the cheek muscle, such that when the muscle contracts, it pulls the skin inwards to form a dimple. The surgery takes 15 minutes and costs between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 per dimple.

The basic mechanism through which the plastic surgeons all over the world create artificial dimples on the face is quite simple. It is in fact an artificial process which copies, or rather simulates, the natural method in which people get dimples on their faces. A dimple is actually a defect on the face due to improper growth of the cheek muscles. If the muscles are not fully developed, then a slight depression is observed, which makes the smile seem cuter than normal faces without the dimples.

A punch biopsy instrument is placed against the inner cheek, and circular motions are made to cut through the mucosa, submucosa fat and cheek muscle. A circular core composed of these tissues is removed, leaving the skin intact, which will create a shallow cylindrical-shaped defect under the skin.

This defect then is closed by placing an absorbable suture through the cheek muscle on one side of the defect, then through the dermis layer of the skin, and finally through the cheek muscle on the other side of the defect. A surgical knot is tied, which in turn will result in dimpling of the skin even without smiling.

The skin will, however, flatten out in a week or two when the suture is absorbed. The internal scarring — which takes place — will connect the muscle to the skin, creating a dimple when one smiles.

The surgery can be performed on any kind of cheek, be it chubby or not. It would be easier if the cheeks are not too chubby. If someone wants dimples that are very prominent, a bigger punch biopsy will be used to be able to remove a bigger core of soft tissue. Usually performed under local anaesthesia, normal activities can be resumed straight after the procedure. You walk in without a dimple and leave with your desired facial indents.

There is usually minimal swelling after, and the after-care steps are just as simple and uncomplicated as the procedure. The after-care usually involves regular mouth rinsing with an oral antiseptic solution and antibiotic intake.

The patient heals in four days but it takes 14 days for the dimple to be noticeable. However, in a week or two the cheek and its muscles flatten out and then surgical dimples are seen only when the person smiles. There is usually minimal swelling after the procedure, and the after-care steps are simple and uncomplicated.

Girls think that it gives guys a classic smile that does not make them look at all any less masculine. It is super cute and gets major points. — MF

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