Possible to Reverse a Dimple Surgery?

Question

I had dimple surgery about 20 years ago, I am 43 years old now. I want to go back to my cheek without the dimple, what is the procedure/solution on undoing the dimple surgery?

Umang Mehta, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. First off, just a quick background on dimple creation surgery:

	Natural dimples exist because certain people have a "hole" in the buccinator muscle of the cheek. Dimpleplasty, or dimple creation surgery, is an in-office procedure which takes about 30 minutes to perform under local anesthesia. In this procedure, a small incision is made inside the cheek, a piece of the buccinator muscle is removed, and a stitch is placed to catch the undersurface of the cheek skin and tack it down to the inside of the cheek. Initially the dimple is present at all times, whether smiling or not. However, over the first 3-4 weeks, this stitch gradually begins to dissolve, during which time the dimple becomes increasingly flat when not smiling. Over time, the dimple is present when smiling but the cheek is flat when at rest. The results are very natural appearing, in my experience. 

	The process of reversing the dimple depends on timing. If, for some reason, the patient decides to have the dimple reversed soon after the procedure, within the first month or two, this can be as simple as snipping the retention stitch. This is a 5-minute procedure under local anesthesia with minimal downtime. Patients begin to massage the site a few days following this procedure. If the dimple is well formed, as it is in your case, it is a matter of freeing up the skin from the inside structures of the cheek. This takes a few minutes longer to perform. Because it has been so long since your surgery, there is the possibility that your skin may remain slightly indented after this release procedure, in which case injection of a bit of a dermal filler, such as Juvederm or Restylane, may be needed lift your skin back out. Obviously seeing you in person would be most helpful but I hope this answers your question... 

	Best regards,

	 

	Dr. Mehta

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