Dimple Maker Craze Is On TikTok, but might it do long-term harm?

The “dimple maker” craze is all the rage on TikTok, but might it do long-term harm?

We always want what we don’t have. Whether it’s longer lashes or a different color of hair. People are giving themselves pseudo dimples—and no, this isn’t a surgical procedure. Meet the “dimple maker”: a cherry-shaped device with a curved wire and marble-shaped balls on either end. People on TikTok claim that all you have to do is pry the device open and slip it onto your cheek. Allowing the balls to clamp the inner and outer sides together.

The gadget may eventually leave imprints on your cheek’s muscles and fat pads, but plastic surgeons who talked with us aren’t sure how long they’ll persist. Nearly ninety years earlier, after a woman named Isabelle Gilbert produced a comparable product, doctors arrived at the same conclusion.

Interest is still there and is increasing now. The gadgets are starting to appear on Etsy and other stores for roughly $15. The hashtag #dimplemaker has received over 60 million views on TikTok.

Experts warn that although dimple makers are a less intrusive and reasonably safe alternative to dimpleplasties, which involve surgically removing cheek muscle to generate dimples. There is still a chance of lasting nerve damage and scarring.

How do dimple makers work? (Dimple Maker Craze Is On TikTok)

Dimple makers, likened to a waist trainer by Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, a plastic surgeon with Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery in San Francisco, California, compress the skin and underlying fat in the cheek. Squeezing fluid out of surrounding tissue and creating a temporary inward dent.

Although the exact duration of action is unknown, scientists predict that the quantity of fat in the cheek, the tightness of the clamp, and the duration of wear will all affect the outcome.

Risks of using dimple makers

According to Kaplan, dimple makers that are overly tight and left on for an extended period of time may limit blood supply to the area of the cheek that is being compressed. Which could result in necrosis—the death of fat tissue.

As a result, your cheek may grow a hard bump that eventually goes away and is unlikely to be seen from the outside, according to Kaplan. Your skin cells there may die if the blood flow is sufficiently interrupted, leaving a scab and scar in their wake.

Although less common, nerve injury to the face might potentially result in paralysis of the upper and lower lip, giving you a “I just had a cavity filled at the dentist” kind of smile, according to Matarasso.

According to Matarasso, “There is a limited period of time when you apply pressure on a nerve. Before the nerve dies and it becomes irreversible.” “Consider it like a wet match; it may dry out occasionally. But if you soak it long enough, it will never catch fire.”

Some people are in embarrassing situations because of the trend of dimple makers.

Miya Ulatowski, 26, was born with dimples. So it’s not unusual for her to be accused of fabricating them as dimple makers gain popularity

Ulatowski, who lives in Ohio, stated that she’s “a big supporter of people doing. Whatever they need to feel happy and confident in how they look.” Even though she doesn’t see the appeal of dimples.

Meanwhile, dimpleplasty recipients frequently face hate mail for their choice to have the operation. After having surgery in June, Merissa Fernandes, 32, of Massachusetts, claimed to have encountered backlash online. However, she acknowledged that this was a result of her candor regarding her bodily alterations.