Why Some People Have Dimples and Others Don't

There is something about a dimple in someone's smile that can make people of either gender swoon. Obviously you can't make yourself have a dimple if you weren't born with one. But if you've ever wished that you could, it might have occurred to you to wonder how those lucky cuties got their dimples in the first place. The answer is fairly simple: it's all in the genes.

There's just something in the genetic makeup that determines whether or not you might get dimples. The dimple gene is a dominant gene so if which means that if one of your parents has dimples then you probably got them as well. It's simply a hereditary thing that is passed down from generation to generation.

If you're thinking to yourself that you know someone who has dimples but there aren't any other dimples in the family, there could be several reasons. Some of the major reasons that a person might develop dimples when their parents don't have them include:

• Genes are funny. Usually we can tell from our genetic makeup which traits we're going to get and which we aren't. However, there are lots of genes that skip generations so it's possible that someone back down the line had those dimples and you're just the lucky one in the bunch that was next to get the gene.
• Your parents' dimples faded over time. The dimples in the face frequently change over time as a result of changes that occur throughout the body. Muscles are developed and loosened. Fat in the face changes the shape of your cheeks. And dimples may disappear as you grow up. Scour your parents' old baby photos to see if there was a hint of dimple in there that you didn't know about before.
• Your dimples are a result of the unique shape of your face. In some cases, the dimple is less of a genetic thing than it is an anatomical thing. Yes, it's passed down just like the rest of your body features. But there are some cases where the way that certain facial muscles form causes dimples.

It should be noted that there are different types of dimples which may form on the face. Most commonly, people with dimples have one dimple in each cheek which is visible when they smile. In some cases, the dimples are so poignant that they are visible even when the individual is not smiling. In other instances, the person may actually have only one dimple. In addition to the one-or-two cheek dimples, there is also the possibility that you will develop a dimple in your chin. This is more rare than cheek dimples and may not be the kind of cute feature you wish you inherited but it's something that you can see on people if you start looking around.

Just like the rest of our facial features, dimples come from our parents and their parents before them. If you love the ones that you have, you can thank the genes. If you wish that you had them, blame your parents.

What does everyone thing: are dimples "cute"?