Dimples are one of those tiny human features that somehow manage to get a wildly oversized reputation. A small dip in the cheek can become a family trademark. A chin dimple can make someone instantly recognizable. Two little hollows on the lower back get their own mythological branding. Not bad for a bunch of shallow indentations in skin and soft tissue.
But here is the fun twist: not every “dimple” is the same thing. Some are classic smile dimples. Some are normal body landmarks. Some are congenital pits that look cute from afar but deserve medical attention if they become irritated or infected. And while people often talk about dimples like they are one neat little category, real anatomy is messier, more interesting, and frankly more entertaining than that.
This guide breaks down 16 common face and body dimples, from the charming cheek variety to the practical lower-back kind and the dimple-like pits doctors care about for entirely unglamorous reasons. Think of it as a field guide to tiny indentations with surprisingly big personalities.
What exactly is a dimple?
In the broadest sense, a dimple is a small natural indentation in the skin or soft tissue. On the face, dimples often become more visible with smiling because muscles pull the skin inward. On the body, a dimple may come from ligament attachments, bone shape, or a congenital skin pit that formed during development. In other words, “dimple” is a visual description, not one single medical diagnosis.
That is why this list mixes true cosmetic dimples with a few dimple-like features people commonly notice on the body. Some are purely aesthetic. Some are just anatomy doing anatomy things. And some are worth mentioning because they can be confused with harmless beauty marks when they are actually a clinical finding.
The 16 types of dimples
1. Bilateral cheek dimples
This is the classic, movie-poster version: one dimple on each cheek, usually showing up when a person smiles. Bilateral cheek dimples are the ones most people picture first, and they are often associated with a youthful, expressive face. They can be shallow or deep, delicate or dramatic, and they do not always look perfectly identical on both sides. Nature is not a copy machine.
2. Unilateral cheek dimple
Some people get just one cheek dimple, which can make a smile look even more distinctive. A one-sided dimple tends to stand out because the face becomes slightly asymmetrical in motion. That asymmetry often reads as lively rather than “off.” In practical terms, it just means one side of the cheek creates more visible tethering than the other when facial muscles move.
3. Baby cheek dimples
Some infants and toddlers have adorable cheek dimples that soften or disappear as they grow. This can happen because baby fat changes the contour of the face, and facial proportions shift over time. So yes, the baby photo with cherubic dimples may be telling the truth even if the adult version of that person no longer has them. Faces grow up, and occasionally the dimples do not renew their lease.
4. Dynamic smile dimples
Dynamic dimples appear mainly during expression, especially when smiling or laughing. At rest, the cheeks may look smooth. These are the “surprise reveal” dimples, the kind that suddenly show up mid-laugh and make people ask, “Wait, have you always had those?” Dynamic dimples are a good reminder that the face is not static architecture. It is moving anatomy with excellent timing.
5. Static cheek dimples
Static dimples stay visible even when the face is relaxed, though they often deepen during smiling. They are less common than dimples that show only with expression, and they can create a permanently dimpled look. Some people love this because it becomes a signature feature. Others barely notice it because, as with freckles and cowlicks, the person wearing the feature is usually less impressed than everyone else.
6. High-cheek dimples
These sit a bit higher on the cheek, closer to the cheekbone area than the corners of the mouth. High-cheek dimples can make the face look lifted and animated, especially in photos. When they are subtle, they may read more as cheek shadows than obvious hollows. When they are deeper, they can become one of the first features people notice in a smile.
7. Low-cheek or para-oral dimples
Lower cheek dimples sit closer to the mouth and are sometimes described in aesthetic literature as dimples near the angle of the mouth. These can create a charming “smile bracket” effect because they appear where facial movement is strongest. If high-cheek dimples are the glamorous balcony seats, low-cheek dimples are right in the front row for every grin.
8. Round cheek dimples
Some cheek dimples are compact and circular rather than elongated. A round dimple often looks like a tiny thumbprint pressed into the cheek during a smile. This shape tends to photograph clearly and can make dimples look especially defined. Think of it as the punctuation-mark version of a dimple: small, neat, and impossible to ignore once you see it.
9. Long or vertical cheek dimples
Not all dimples are little dots. Some are narrow and slightly vertical, giving the cheek more of a crease-like hollow than a circular dip. These can look elegant and subtle, especially on longer faces. They also help explain why “Do you have dimples?” is not always a yes-or-no question. Sometimes the answer is, “Sort of, but they are more of a line than a dot.”
10. Mouth-corner dimples
These appear at or just below the corners of the mouth and can be mistaken for smile lines at first glance. They may look like tiny dimples, especially when the person grins broadly. Because this part of the face moves constantly when talking, laughing, or smirking, mouth-corner dimples can add extra character to expression. They are the subtle comedians of the dimple world.
11. Chin dimples or cleft chins
The chin dimple is one of the most recognizable non-cheek dimples. Some people have a soft central indentation, while others have a more obvious vertical cleft, sometimes nicknamed a “butt chin.” Charming nickname? Debatable. Memorable? Unfortunately yes. A chin dimple is usually a normal inherited facial trait, but its appearance is not governed by a simple one-gene story the way old classroom genetics examples sometimes suggest.
12. Philtrum dimple
The philtrum is the vertical groove between the nose and the upper lip. It is a normal part of lip anatomy, not a cosmetic oddity, but in everyday language people sometimes describe a pronounced philtrum as a central upper-lip dimple. It helps define the shape of the upper lip and Cupid’s bow. In some faces it is deep and sharply outlined; in others it is flatter and softer. Either way, it is doing important visual work without demanding applause.
13. Dimples of Venus or Apollo
These are the paired indentations on the lower back, just above the buttocks. In women they are often called dimples of Venus; in men, dimples of Apollo. Unlike cheek dimples, these are linked more to ligament attachments and body contour than to facial muscle variation. They are normal anatomical landmarks, and while popular culture loves to assign them mystical powers, they are simply lower-back indentations with exceptional branding.
14. Sacral dimples
A sacral dimple is a small midline pit or indentation in the lower back, usually present at birth and usually located near the crease between the buttocks. Most are harmless. That said, some sacral dimples deserve medical evaluation, especially if they are large, deep, far from the crease, or accompanied by nearby skin changes like a tuft of hair, a skin tag, or discoloration. This is the point where “cute little dimple” becomes “let’s have the pediatrician take a look.”
15. Preauricular ear dimples or pits
These are tiny openings or dimpling just in front of the ear. They are congenital, meaning a person is born with them, and they are usually harmless. However, because they are connected to a small tract under the skin, they can become infected or form a cyst. So while they may look like a miniature ear dimple, they are not the same thing as a facial smile dimple. They are a whole separate category of tiny anatomical plot twist.
16. Pilonidal dimples or pits
A pilonidal dimple is a small pit near the top of the buttock crease. Unlike a sacral dimple, it may later trap hair and debris and can become inflamed or infected, sometimes leading to a painful pilonidal cyst. This is one of the least glamorous members of the dimple family, and it definitely wins the award for “feature most likely to need medical care and least likely to be romanticized in poetry.”
Why do some people have dimples and others do not?
For cheek dimples, the most common explanation involves variation in the zygomaticus major muscle, the muscle that helps lift the corners of the mouth when you smile. In some people, the structure creates a tethering effect that pulls the overlying skin inward. Genetics clearly play a role because dimples often run in families, but researchers do not treat them as a neat one-gene trait with guaranteed inheritance patterns. Translation: biology is being delightfully complicated again.
Body dimples work differently. Lower-back dimples are usually tied to ligament attachment and contour over the pelvis. Sacral dimples and preauricular pits are congenital features, meaning they are present from birth. Pilonidal pits are different again, because they may be linked to hair, friction, and inflammation over time rather than simply being a harmless inherited contour.
Are dimples ever a health problem?
Most cheek dimples, chin dimples, philtrum grooves, and lower-back dimples are completely normal and harmless. They are just variations in anatomy, not signs that something is wrong. In that sense, a lot of dimples are basically the body’s version of decorative punctuation.
But a few dimple-like features are worth watching. A sacral dimple in a baby may need evaluation if it is unusually deep, large, off-center, or associated with nearby skin changes. Preauricular pits can get infected and sometimes form cysts. Pilonidal dimples can also become infected and painful. So the rule of thumb is simple: if the area is red, draining, swollen, painful, or repeatedly irritated, it is time to stop calling it “interesting” and start calling a clinician.
Can you create or remove dimples?
Cosmetic procedures can create facial dimples, and some people seek treatment to soften a cleft chin or change the lip area. But that is a personal choice, not a medical necessity in most cases. The healthier beauty takeaway is this: dimples are not required for an attractive face, a balanced profile, or a memorable smile. They are just one of many ways human features vary.
And that is what makes them interesting. A dimple can be inherited, temporary, deeply etched, barely there, smile-only, always visible, facial, lumbar, congenital, or clinically important. Same word. Very different stories.
Final thoughts
If you came here expecting one tidy category called “dimples,” sorry to your neat little filing cabinet. Human anatomy had other plans. From bilateral cheek dimples to the philtrum, from lower-back Venus dimples to sacral and ear pits, there are many kinds of indentations people lump together under the same label.
The best way to think about them is this: some dimples are purely expressive, some are structural, and some are medical look-alikes that deserve a closer eye. All of them show how a tiny dip in the skin can carry a surprising amount of personality. Which is honestly very on-brand for the human body: dramatic, complicated, and never content with being boring.
Experiences people often have with dimples
People’s experiences with dimples are often more emotional than anatomical. Someone with cheek dimples may spend half their life hearing the same comments from relatives, classmates, baristas, and complete strangers in checkout lines. “Your smile is so cute.” “You got that from your mom.” “I did not notice you had dimples until you laughed.” Dimples can become part of how other people remember a face, even when the person who has them thinks of them as background scenery.
For some, dimples become a family trait that turns into a running joke. One sibling gets them, another does not, and suddenly every holiday photo becomes an unplanned genetics seminar. Grandparents point at baby pictures like detectives solving a cold case. “Those are your father’s cheeks.” “No, that chin is from your mother’s side.” Science may be complicated, but family confidence on this subject is usually absolute.
People with one-sided dimples often describe hearing that their smile looks mischievous, playful, or a little flirty even when they are just trying to be polite in a group photo. That is the weird power of facial features: one tiny indentation and suddenly people assume your personality came with a screenplay. Meanwhile, the person with the dimple is just trying not to blink when the camera goes off.
Parents of newborns sometimes have a very different experience, especially with sacral dimples or ear pits. What looks like a harmless little indentation can spark a quick round of anxious Googling, a pediatric visit, and a lot of “Is this normal?” Usually the answer is reassuring. Even so, that experience reminds people that not all dimples belong in the cute-and-cosmetic category. Some are just normal variants, and some need a quick professional opinion for peace of mind.
Lower-back dimples create their own kind of mythology. Some people do not know they have them until a swimsuit photo, a dance class mirror, or a friend casually points them out. Others spend years hearing exaggerated nonsense about what those dimples supposedly mean. They do not predict magical charisma, superior athleticism, or destiny as a romance-novel protagonist. But they do tend to inspire a lot of confident nonsense, which may be almost as impressive.
Then there are people whose dimples changed over time. Maybe they had soft baby cheek dimples that faded with age. Maybe weight change made a lower-back indentation more or less noticeable. Maybe a smile dimple became more obvious in adulthood as facial structure matured. Features can shift subtly over the years, which is why old photos sometimes feel like little archaeological digs into your own face.
What most of these experiences have in common is attention. Dimples attract it. They become shorthand for warmth, youthfulness, charm, or familiarity. But the healthiest perspective is still the simplest one: dimples are just one normal variation among many. Some people have freckles, some have widow’s peaks, some have a dramatic chin cleft, and some have none of the above and still look fantastic. A dimple can be memorable, but it is not a requirement for beauty, identity, or confidence. It is simply one more small way human faces and bodies refuse to be boring.
