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- Written By: S.E. Smith
- Edited By: Bronwyn Harris
- Last Modified Date: 14 January 2012
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2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
A dimple is any sort of indentation; most people use the term to refer specifically to indentations in the skin of people, particularly on the cheeks. Dimpled cheeks are considered attractive in many cultures, and it should be fairly easy to find someone with dimples in your neighborhood, since dimples are a genetic trait. Most dimples are actually caused by a birth defect, which just goes to show you that not all “malformations” are actually bad.
The most common cause of dimples is a shortened muscle, which explains why dimples are not always apparent at rest, since muscles are typically in their shortened state at rest. In the face, shorter face muscles pull at the skin, especially when someone smiles, creating a classic dimple. Over time, the muscles of the face can slowly stretch out, which is why some people have dimples when they are young, but lose them as they age. Dimples can also form on other body parts, like the buttocks. Dimples in other regions are not as highly prized as those on the face, perhaps because your face is readily visible, while other body parts are not.
The genetics of dimples is actually rather interesting. Dimples are a dominant trait, which means that it only takes one gene to inherit dimples. If neither of your parents has dimples, you shouldn't have them either, unless you experience a spontaneous mutation. If one of your parents has dimples, you have a 25-50% chance of inheriting the gene, since it means that parent inherited the gene from one or both parents. If both of your parents have dimples, you have a 50-100% chance of inheriting the gene, depending on how they inherited their dimple genes.
In most cases, facial dimples appear on the cheeks, although they can also pop up on the chin, and they are typically not visible until someone smiles. The changes in the face caused by a smile will bring out the dimple. However, some people only have a dimple on one side; this physical trait can actually be rather endearing. The look of dimples can also vary; as an inherited trait, unusual dimples can be passed on through multiple generations of a family.
Because dimples can fade with time as someone's facial muscles stretch out, many people associate them with youth. Children are referred to as having dimpled cheeks, for example, and someone who has dimples may be thought of as youthful or baby faced.
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anon239231
Post 108 |
I have five dimples: two on the left side of my mouth, two on the right side and one under the right side of my lip. |
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anon235302
Post 107 |
I'm the only person in my whole family who has dimples. We have pictures and portraits of all our ancestors and no one has dimples, and it rather puzzles me because I do not look like any of them in general. They all have blond hair and icy blue eyes while I have a reddish light brown hair color and green-blue eyes that look more like sea water than the pretty sky blue that they have. Gosh. I think I'm adopted. |
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anon220617
Post 106 |
No one in my family that I know has dimples. However, I have one on my left cheek. It doesn't come out when I smile, only when I eat or talk. It's quite frustrating because I have to try so hard to make it visible. |
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anon216787
Post 105 |
I have two deep dimples, one on each cheek (face). I'm the only one of my siblings that has them but my mom has one on her left cheek she has a faint one on her right. I love my dimples. I'm 12 and when I was younger my mom always said how cute they were and it embarrassed me, but now I love them. |
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anon214472
Post 104 |
I think it's funny how exact my family is when it comes to genetics. My father has dimples and my mother doesn't. As a result, my two little sisters have dimples, but my older sister and I do not. |
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anon213023
Post 103 |
I am 29 years old and I have two huge dimples, on each side of my face that are very visible not only when I smile but when I speak also, yet neither my mom nor my dad has dimples. However, my aunt on my mother's side does. I am the oldest of six children and I am the only one with them. Strange, yet I wouldn't trade my dimples for the world. They are one of my most beautiful features. --DB-TX
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anon208074
Post 102 |
All my mother's kids have dimples and she does as well, but neither of her parents have them. |
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anon178294
Post 100 |
I have a friend with shallow dimples. Then my other one, has only a little one on one of her cheeks. I pick on them and tell them that they are deformed. |
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anon176613
Post 99 |
My dimples are identical to my grandmother's dimples. My grandmother on my dad's side of the family. We look so much alike that people think she is my twin sister or my mother. They were looking at a picture of her when she was my age. She passed away long time ago. Also, we have the same name and my daughter said that I am reincarnated. It is astonishing how much I look like her. |
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anon176104
Post 98 |
i got my dimple by smashing my face into a table. my friends always tell me when they see my one-dimpled face is that 'dimples are a birth defect', which then makes me reply: "well it's good thing i wasn't born with it". here's how i got my dimple: when i was six years old my older sister and i were at my father's tennis club playing in the lounge, my sister puts a hat over my face and says come catch by listening to the sound of voice. me being so gullible, I said yes and ended up running face first into the corner of a table. ever since then my cheek has never been the same. |
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anon169599
Post 96 |
I have two dimples in the middle of my lower lip. |
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anon159400
Post 95 |
I have a dimple on my right cheek, only my right cheek. I can only wink my left eye and my mom says that I can't wink the right because of my dimple. Is this right? |
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anon153727
Post 93 |
are those 'eye dimples' like Emmanuelle Vaugier has? My niece has them and I always tease her about it. |
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anon152560
Post 92 |
My sister and I have a dimple on the left side of our faces, my brother and mother have dimples on both sides, But the weirdest things is my baby sister has a dimple on her chin and on the middle of her chest. It says that people usually grow out of the dimples but my mother is 37 and she still has them deep and she is proud of them, I asked my dad what was one thing he liked about her appearance, he said that when she smiled her dimples were as deep as they were when they met. So far every girl that has gone out with my brother complement him about his dimples. |
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anon148499
Post 91 |
dimples are so cute! i have like four of them but they're not deep at all and they're all over the place! i want them really deep! and one on each cheek! I'm jealous of the people who have them! |
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anon145903
Post 90 |
I hate my dimples, yet i don't actually know if i have dimples (they only appear when smiling), I'm 12 and I know this sounds strange (compared to everybody else) but it's true. I hate dimples. |
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anon144103
Post 89 |
my dimples make a cute evil curl on the end of my lips, and people say it looks really cute! |
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anon134371
Post 88 |
"Most dimples are actually caused by a birth defect..." Spot on! I agree with you! People often think that birth defects are destined to make the person with it unattractive- but people consider people with dimples to be cute! --Shriya K |
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anon134160
Post 87 |
I have a dimple on my left cheek. my boyfriend tells me a garden gnome came into my mother's womb and poked my cheek with his magical gnome wand. should i believe him? |
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anon129337
Post 86 |
I have got a deep dimple on my right cheek, which is visible even when i chew. Oh how i wish i also have a dimple in my left cheek, but on my left cheek there's only a line not very deep. None of my parents or siblings have any but my cousins on my mum's side have them. I love my dimples and i hope i will have them always. Whenever i laugh or smile people look at me which i love a lot. I love dimples and am always fascinated by the people who have them. I just want to thank Allah for giving me such a beautiful gift. Thank you and stay blessed. They are the best part of my face. |
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anon129301
Post 85 |
my parents don't have dimples and guess what? I got three of them --one on the left cheek and two on the right cheek, wonder how did that happen? |
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Michelle Jorgensen
Post 84 |
My daughter who is 13 weeks old was born with the usual dimples: one on each cheek and one on her chin. She was also born with what i thought to be an unusual sacral dimple? It's located in the crack of her bum. Her brother also has one. Then a week ago, the most amazing thing occurred. I was drying my baby girl's little feet and there they were: one on each foot. Yep, dimples. |
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anon121063
Post 83 |
I'm a twin and I'm the only one amongst the four kids to inherit dimples. I used to say that I got them because my twin brother's toes were in my face for nine months. There kind of deep (the left side a little deeper). I quite often get comments on how deep they are. It used to make me shy. My son has one dominant one on his left cheek and a very faint one on his right. I used to tell people that I started praying too late. That's why he only ended up with one. |
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anon119608
Post 82 |
I have a dimple on each of my cheek (face) and the left one is deeper plus i also have a dimple on the bottom right corner of my mouth. I also have dimples of venus, the kind you get on your lower back. Always thought it was strange having such a deep dimple on one side of my face, so I guess that is my good side for pictures, lol. |
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anon117933
Post 81 |
I have two dimples, one in each face cheek but right one's deeper than the other so it looks lopsided, but I love them. My dad has one deep dimple on his right cheek, so I guess that's why my right one is deeper, lol. My dad has back dimples too but I didn't get them, my brother did. He doesn't have cheek dimples, btw. Last week in class, I was laughing really hard at something my friend said and this guy randomly says, "Nice dimple." I didn't know how to react so I just put my hand up to face and tried to cover them. But it did make me happy to know someone noticed them. |
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anon117626
Post 80 |
i have a dimple on both of my cheeks and i honestly love them. i mean they make me look cuter and prettier, but my younger bro has a deep one. i think men with dimples look very funny because i have seen a couple of them and they give them a feminine look. |
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anon115981
Post 79 |
When I smile dimples, appear beneath my eyes. They might not be dimples but they sure do look like they are. |
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anon115952
Post 78 |
i have a pair of dimples, but my both parents don't have. Where did i get that? |
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anon105982
Post 77 |
Is there a correlation between race and dimples? |
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anon102740
Post 76 |
My son was born with dimples, but my husband and I don't have them, but my sister does. How does this happen? |
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anon100556
Post 75 |
i have a small dimple underneath my right side of my chin when i smile sometimes. my friends and family notice it and they think is cute because it goes with my baby face, so it makes me feel young because I'm 16 but people and some other friends think I'm 12 or 13 years old. I love my dimple but i wanted to get a dimple in my cheek like my dad and my baby sister, or a dimple back like my sister because it looks cute and sexy. |
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redbird
Post 74 |
My husband is one of nine siblings and they all have dimples because his mother has them. We have two kids and our son has them, but not our daughter. At first she was bummed but she thinks her brother's dimples are cute and we all agree on that! |
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Myriam Espritt-Steptoe
Post 73 |
I love my face and my pretty dimples. |
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anon96136
Post 72 |
could dimples be somewhere other than your face? |
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anon91350
Post 71 |
i have three dimples on my right cheek and two on my cheek (on my face, not my butt). |
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anon87574
Post 70 |
I have two small dimples at the bottom of my mouth and a cleft chin but none of my parents have them. |
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anon84666
Post 68 |
To add on my previous comment below... "I don't know if i have dimples because it only appeared when i smile. it is located at below right. of my face. Hope it is dimples, but i was so clueless whether it is or not. |
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anon84575
Post 67 |
My friends always say my dimples make me look cute! And the dudes are like "Look your dimples are dancing." Makes me smile a lot. |
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anon83690
Post 66 |
I dun know if i have dimples because it only appeared when i smile. it is located at below right. |
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anon83621
Post 65 |
Neither of my parents nor anyone in my family have dimples but I have just one deep dimple on my right cheek and every time I smile I find someone staring at it and when I look they just smile. |
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anon82408
Post 64 |
I have one really deep dimple on my right cheek. Neither of my parents have dimples and none of my siblings do either. I don't know where it came from. Everyone is always telling me how cute my smile and dimple is. Because of it, I've been nicknamed "dimple face." |
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anon79682
Post 63 |
I have shallow dimples on both of my cheeks. as far as i know, nobody in my family has/had them. but they just developed over about the last year. I've gotten compliments on my smile from random strangers because of them. |
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anon77935
Post 62 |
I have a family of eight, with six kids in total. Neither I or my husband ever had dimples, and most if not any of my past relatives do either, yet my eldest daughter was born with two dimples on her cheeks. |
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anon77732
Post 61 |
i have dimples on my shoulder, one on each side. i never put any thought in looking up the meaning of dimples or what make them, them, what they are or their cause, until i had to write my research paper. now it's something which captures my interest, but i had one question: what is considered a rare or unusual dimple? |
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anon77626
Post 60 |
My son was born with dimples on both sides of his cheeks. He received them from his grandfather. He has a daughter who has dimples, but they are not deep as his. |
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anon76117
Post 59 |
i have a dimple right below my lower lip in the very middle. |
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anon73200
Post 58 |
I was born with dimples and hazel eyes and when my daughter was born, she also has dimples but she has grey eyes. I am planning on having another baby, I just wanted to wait a year because I lost my second daughter when I had her at seven months. She didn't live but two hours. she had hazel eyes like me and one deep dimple in her right cheek. I am sure that when I have another baby, he/she will have dimples as well. I truly don't know how a person can get dimples without being born with them, or having the trait run in the family. |
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anon69326
Post 57 |
I have four dimples. Two deep ones on the left bottom side of my mouth and two on the right side but not as noticeable as the other side. Would you find this attractive? |
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anon67989
Post 56 |
i have a dimple on my left cheek and the one on my right started to disappear. anyway, I'm happy with one. |
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anon67406
Post 55 |
i only have one dimple on my left cheek and that's it. my mom doesn't have them and neither does my dad, but my great grandparents did. |
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anon66498
Post 54 |
i love dimples and find that a person with dimples looks very cute and attractive. i wish i also had dimples. |
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anon66122
Post 53 |
i have very deep dimples that are visible even when i chew gum, eat, drink etc. i used to hate them when i was younger but now i love them and i get compliments all the time. |
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anon64569
Post 51 |
i am almost 19 years old and seem to be developing a dimple on one side of my face. i don't know if this is normal. i've searched for cases of this but came up empty. does anyone know why this might happen? |
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anon63938
Post 50 |
I always thought my dimples were embarrassing because I always thought that they were in the wrong spot (one on each side of my chin that I got from my mom). I absolutely love dimples in cheeks though. My husband has beautiful dimples in his cheeks that he got from his mom. I joke about it saying that his dimples were the reason I married him. I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I'm wondering if our son will have my dimples, his dimples, both, or neither. Hmmm... I hope he has his dimples. I always wanted children with dimples. |
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anon62108
Post 49 |
I have a dimple on my left cheek, and on my chin. When i was small i was asked to smile a lot. I also felt like a freak for only having one, so i used to poke my right cheek to make a dimple. gimme a break, i was young. My dimple on the chin is a whole other story. |
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anon61811
Post 48 |
i have dimples about 2 cm away from both my top lip and about 2 cm on my bottom lip going half way towards the chin! that's four dimples! |
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jmelyn88
Post 47 |
I have had dimples on my cheek and ever since I was little. I have been asked to smile so everyone could see them. I love having them! Neither of my parents have them, but my father's half sister does, so I'm not sure how I got them. My boyfriend has them too and my family always says that our kids will have them too. |
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anon60886
Post 45 |
I have one and a half dimples. my left cheek has a full dimple and my right cheek goes down a little. |
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anon60860
Post 44 |
i have two dimples just below my eye. i thought they were strange as were they are placed. I'm well known among my friends for smiling and when someone i just met or a stranger on the street are always amazed and surprised to see where the dimples are. is it that odd to have them there? well from this site i now know i'm not the only one who has them there. never seen or heard about people having the dimples on theur face just below the eye |
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anon58148
Post 43 |
I have dimples on my lower back and I always thought they were on every girl until I hit high school and older that I found out that not all women have them and actually they are pretty rare. Most guys have told me they're such a turn on and of course you have some that say they are great for their thumbs. LOL. But I actually love them myself. |
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anon57573
Post 42 |
I have one on my right cheek. People always try to make me laugh or smile so they can see it, haha. |
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anon57166
Post 40 |
i have dimples on my cheeks and true thing they attract lots of attention and speculation, and i love them on others! cute though i think they become trigger laugh lines with age. in the end you look older than you would without them. |
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anon56768
Post 39 |
i too have dimples on both cheeks, but neither of my parents has one! but my aunt has and even my younger sister. |
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anon55844
Post 38 |
I have dimples on both sides of my cheeks. Neither of my parents or grandparents have them |
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anon55843
Post 37 |
I have 2 big dimples on my cheeks, but neither of my parents have dimples!
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anon51672
Post 36 |
i just love the two dimples some girls get on their lower back right above their butt - it's so sexy, I wish I had them (well, I guess guys can get them too. though I can only remember seeing them on girls).
Oh- I just wanted to quickly point out- for the commentators relating how they have dimples but their parents don't "have" them, or no one in their family has them either- as stated, over time dimples can/will fade or even completely disappear, so they may not "have" them now, but could have as children (unless you asked them and they say they've never had dimples) :) |
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anon51283
Post 34 |
well i have one dimple on my left cheek and I hate it. it's like so bad. well, i guess it isn't too bad, but it makes me look really young.
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anon50581
Post 33 |
Well i have 12 dimples and my mom only had 2 and she's a grown adult and still has hers. |
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anon50072
Post 32 |
I have the one dimple on my left cheek also. Neither of my parents have dimples, but, on my mom's side of the family there are cousins who have very deep dimples. I do get people trying to poke the dimple too. |
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anon49420
Post 31 |
I have dimples on my butt what would cause that?? |
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anon48942
Post 30 |
I have two dimples on both side of my cheeks and no one in my family has them. Mutation I guess. |
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anon48604
Post 29 |
I have two dimples on each side of my cheeks. It runs in the family, both of my parents have them and even my siblings. It's such a beautiful gift from God. I hope my children inherit it. God bless you all. |
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anon48129
Post 28 |
i have two small dimples at the botton of my mouth. i don't really like them. the cheek would be better. |
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anon47379
Post 27 |
i have 2 dimples, one on my left and one on my right. The one on my left is not as deep as the one on the right. I'm not sure if my parents have them. I know two of my brothers have them though. |
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anon47285
Post 26 |
i have one dimple on my right cheek. My mom always told me that i slept on a chocolate chip when i was in her tummy, and that's why i only have one dimple. |
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anon46913
Post 25 |
I have two dimples on each side of my cheeks. It's kind of rude when i go to stores and they think i'm 13 when i just turned 31. |
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anon46758
Post 24 |
Yeah, dimples! I got them! deep ones on each cheek when I smile. People love to put their fingers in them. I say stay out of my face. the girls think I can seduce them with just dimples. I say all it gets is fingers in your face! James |
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anon46394
Post 22 |
i have one dimple, my parents dont have dimples, but my auntie does. damn, im a freak. :( haha |
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anon45723
Post 21 |
I have dimples and they are the dimples thats deep and long. I geuss it runs in my family because my dad, sister, and some of my cousins have them. I'm a guy but I don't really think anything about dimples. Its a unique defect that God gave to us. |
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anon43378
Post 20 |
I have dimples on both cheeks but neither of my parents have it, but i think it is somewhere in the family. it is considered cute in my culture and i hope my children will have it. if it is indeed a defect then it is the most beautiful defect ever! |
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anon41573
Post 19 |
I have dimples right above the corners of my mouth only when i smile with my mouth closed or make a pouty face. They aren't as far out on my cheeks as more popular dimples. No one else in the family has dimples, but my son has one on the cheek and my daughter has two and they're both not like mine. |
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anon40808
Post 18 |
when i was little i didn't have any dimples but now i have dimples. is it possible that i just didn't notice the dimples when i was younger or can they just come out of nowhere? |
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anon37961
Post 17 |
neither of my parents have dimples but my grandmother has one dimple on her left cheek and I came out with one dimple on my right cheek |
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anon37142
Post 16 |
neither of my parents have dimples but i have a dimple on each cheek except they are soo big that no one believes they are dimples...they say they are craters! |
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anon36546
Post 15 |
When I was in my 30's a guy asked me where I got the scar on my face, (a cute raised cheek dimple)and I told him I had had a third eye removed. He had a momentary look of shock, but we both made it through life, just not with each other. |
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anon35274
Post 13 |
i have a dimple under my right eye (sorta above the cheekbone). when i was younger i used to have another one under my left eye, but over the years, the right one became sorta prominent. its pretty deep when i wink my right eye. i guess its what people call an "Asian dimple" probably because it appears mostly in Asians... but yeah. i love it. and i hope my kids inherit it. |
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Mari
Post 12 |
I have a dimple in my right cheek and yeah mine gets poked alot and also sometimes have people trying to suck it back out...which i find very funny...just not when i';m sleeping people!
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anon33055
Post 11 |
I have 2 big dimples on my cheeks and they're even more pronounced when I smile, but neither of my parents have dimples! |
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anon27318
Post 8 |
Actually, you *can* have dimples if your parents don't. Law of Segregation :) |
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anon25438
Post 7 |
I have dimples on both sides of my cheeks. Neither of my parents or grandparents have them. Crazy enough, me and my boyfriend have very deep dimples. Does it imply we will also give birth to kids with dimples? dimples are beautiful and also a sign of parental love from my culture and i don't believe are a birth defect. |
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anon24203
Post 6 |
I have dimples on each of my shoulders, the nurse said that is where my angel wings were attached, neither one of my parents has this trait, what is this and how did I get it, my mom does have dimples on her cheeks and so does my brother. |
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anon24010
Post 5 |
I'm an adult and I still have my one dimple in my left cheek. Only got one problem with it- people tend to want to poke it?! My parents don't have dimples so I guess I am just odd. |
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anon20247
Post 4 |
my mom says she created the dimples..!! hwen i was born she held my cheeks and with her fingers thats how they were created and neither one of my parents have dimples..!! is my mom telling the truth?? |
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anon18273
Post 3 |
I actually have 9 dimples on my face, including 2 dimples inside of one of my dimples. I know a couple is normal, but seriously.=P Drove me crazy when I was a younger, but I am glad now to see both my kids have dimples. |
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mrjones
Post 2 |
my husband and i don't have dimples, and neither do our parents, but both of our sons have identical dimples on their left cheeks! it is the cutest thing ever, and i hope they don't ever grow out of them. i'm sure there are dimples somewhere in our family, and because both of them have dimples, it can't be a mutation, can it?
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