- The cherry-shaped device squeezes the inner and outer cheeks, creating an indentation
- The results are temporary and doctors warn that the process can lead to scarring
- READ MORE: TikTok’s ‘bone-crushing’ trend encourages people to hit themselves
Medical experts are sounding the alarm about another strange TikTok trend, where people use a device to pinch their cheeks to get dimples.
The ‘dimple maker’ is a cherry-shaped, tweezer-like device with two small balls on the end of wires. It is placed on both sides of the face, where one ball will squeeze from the inside of the cheek and one from the outside.
The goal is to pinch between the inner and outer cheeks to create an indentation, hoping to achieve the cute, dimpled appearance of dimples that some are lucky enough to be born with.
But the effects of the devices are temporary and can cause permanent damage to the face.
Dr. Ari Hoschander, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in New York, told DailyMail.com that using dimple makers carries a “risk of skin necrosis and subsequent scarring.”
Skin necrosis, or tissue death, can occur due to trauma, such as prolonged pinching of your cheeks.
The ‘dimple maker’ device is placed on either side of the face to squeeze the inner and outer cheeks
Natural dimples are usually hereditary and are caused by the irregular growth of a facial muscle during embryonic development.
In people with natural dimples, the muscle is shorter, causing the skin to become retracted.
Because dimples can emphasize a smile, they can make some people look more youthful or friendly.
According to Allure Plastic Surgery, about a quarter of the world’s population has dimples.
The hashtag #dimplemakers has been viewed nearly 61 million times on TikTok, and dimpling products sold on Etsy are selling out quickly.
A German TikToker with the username @xpreetyy has multiple videos documenting her “dimple journey” using the dimple maker device, which she also sells through a link on her profile.
Boston-based Dr. Samuel Lin, associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, told DailyMail.com: ‘Any device that compresses the skin in a certain way can cause chronic scar pain and may not be permanent.
‘Ultimately, there is no long-term data on how well this works. Any medical device not approved by the FDA may pose risks that have not yet been fully investigated.”
However, dimple creation tools have been around much longer than the TikTok trend.
A woman named Isabelle Gilbert reportedly invented the device in 1936.
Health risks include a lump on the inside of the cheek or scarring on the face where damaged skin cells have died.
If constant pressure is placed on a nerve, it may eventually die, causing irreversible damage.
For those who were born without dimples but want dimples, the indentations can be achieved using a procedure called pitplasty, where a surgeon will alter the muscle on the inside of the cheek to create a dimple.
The operation is performed under general anesthesia and the inside of the cheek is closed with dissolvable stitches.
However, this also comes with risks and complications, including bleeding, damage to the facial nerves, infections and scarring.