Lifestyle

"Designer Dimples" Are The Latest Plastic Surgery Trend Among Millennials

by Imani Brammer

In a time when a record number of millennials are seeking plastic surgery, the latest trend is focused on attaining what are called "designer dimples." The procedure is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: You pay someone anywhere between $800 and $2,500 to slice holes into your cheek to give you the appearance of "natural" dimples.

According to the Independent, the requests for surgical dimples have almost tripled within the last few years among millennials, who are apparently attempting to look like celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Harry Styles and, according to Hollywood Life, some patients come in specifically asking to look like Gabrielle Union.

Other than wanting to look like their favorite celebrities, it seems millennials are particularly into this trend for the convenience of it: The surgery, called dimpleplasty, is minimally invasive, it can be done in less than 24 hours, and it only requires local anesthesia.

The process involves a small stab incision made with a knife in the area where the patient prefers the “dimples” to be. Then, the skin is scraped and stitched, and the patient is left with a crater-like gape until the skin flattens out over the course of a couple of weeks.

However, the effects of dimpleplasty are only temporary; your faux dimples will only last for around one to two months.

Eventually, the scar heals, and the cheek muscle is attached to the newly overlying skin, which, when you smile, creates a dimple effect.

The procedure is safe, easy, and reliable, according to a 2012 study from The Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery, which looked at the positive and negative consequences of dimpleplasty.

Of course, Twitter erupted with a plethora of opinions on the matter.

The fact of the matter is, body alterations are becoming more socially acceptable by the day, if not the minute.

Before this latest trend of designer dimples, young adults were all about breast enhancement procedures. In fact, in 2015, Kole Plastic Surgery reported breast enhancement surgeries as one of the top requested plastic surgery procedures among millennials. Now, in 2017, Botox and lip fillers (think Kylie Jenner) are two of the most popular cosmetic surgeries to date.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Botox treatments for people between the ages of 19 and 34 increased by 41 percent between 2011 and 2015.

Above all, it seems millennials are possibly just looking for different ways to enhance the quality of their lives.

Will designer dimples -- or really, any plastic surgery -- accomplish this?

Well, I think that's for you to decide.