Will My Baby Inherit Dimples? Dominant Trait Mapping

Dimples are often described as a dominant inherited trait, but the reality is more nuanced. A cheek dimple usually reflects a small anatomical variation in the zygomaticus major muscle and the way skin attaches to the underlying facial tissues. Family patterns can be striking, yet researchers have not identified one single “dimple gene” that reliably predicts whether a child will have them. Genetics, facial growth, fat distribution and expression all influence what becomes visible.

What creates a cheek dimple?

The classic cheek dimple appears as a small indentation when a person smiles. It most often forms in the lower cheek, close to the corner of the mouth. Anatomically, it is associated with variation in the zygomaticus major, the facial muscle that lifts the corners of the mouth during smiling.

In many people with dimples, the zygomaticus major may have a divided or bifid arrangement: instead of one continuous muscle bundle, it may split into two parts before inserting into the skin near the mouth. This can pull the skin inward during a smile and create the characteristic hollow. However, not all visible dimples have the same muscle arrangement, and not every person with a divided zygomaticus major has equally obvious dimples.

Cheek dimples, chin clefts and other facial indentations

Parents sometimes group several different features together under the word “dimple”, but they arise in different places and do not necessarily share the same inheritance pattern.

• Cheek dimples occur during smiling and are linked to cheek muscle and skin attachment patterns.
• Chin dimples or cleft chins are caused by variation in the shape and fusion of the lower jaw and overlying soft tissue.
• Smile-line hollows may become more visible with facial leanness or age and are not necessarily congenital dimples.
• Dimples visible at rest tend to reflect a deeper skin attachment or a more marked local structural variation.

A child can inherit cheek dimples without a cleft chin, or vice versa. Looking at each feature separately gives a more useful family picture.

Are dimples really a dominant trait?

The traditional school genetics model presents dimples as dominant: if a parent has dimples, their child may inherit the trait. This shorthand is useful for illustrating inheritance, but it is not sufficiently precise for real families. Cheek dimples do not currently have a confirmed single-gene dominant inheritance model comparable to some well-defined inherited conditions.

A more accurate description is that dimples are familial and likely polygenic. Multiple genetic variants may contribute to facial muscle development, connective-tissue attachment, cheek shape and the distribution of subcutaneous fat. A child also inherits a unique combination of variants rather than a simple on/off dimple instruction.

Genes involved broadly in facial development include PAX3, RUNX2, EDAR and many other loci identified through facial morphology studies. These genes influence aspects of craniofacial growth, soft tissues, hair and skin appendages, or facial proportions. They should not, however, be presented as proven “dimple genes”. At present, a commercial DNA test cannot accurately determine whether a baby will have cheek dimples.

What family patterns can tell you

If one parent has pronounced, stable cheek dimples and several close relatives also have them, the child is more likely than average to show a similar feature. If both parents have dimples, particularly in a similar cheek location, the chance may be higher still. Yet a child can inherit the contributing anatomy without showing a clearly visible indentation, and dimples can appear in a child whose parents do not display them.

Family pattern	What it suggests	What cannot be assumed
One parent has clear cheek dimples	A familial contribution is plausible; the child has an above-average likelihood.	That the child has a fixed 50% chance or will have identical dimples.
Both parents have cheek dimples	More dimple-associated facial features may be present in the family.	That every child will have dimples, or that they will appear on both cheeks.
Grandparents and siblings have dimples	A stronger family pattern may indicate several shared contributing variants.	That a particular gene has been identified or passed on predictably.
No obvious parental dimples	The feature can still occur through less visible family traits or developmental variation.	That dimples are impossible in the child.

Why a child may not look like either parent’s dimple pattern

Facial features emerge from interacting layers: bone structure, facial muscles, fat pads, skin thickness and connective tissue. The same inherited tendency can look different in siblings because their facial proportions develop differently. One child may have a tiny dimple on one cheek only, while another has symmetrical dimples that remain visible after smiling.

Facial asymmetry is also normal. The left and right zygomaticus major muscles do not always have identical shape, branching or insertion points. This is one reason a unilateral dimple is common and does not indicate a problem. Lighting, smile intensity and camera angle can exaggerate or conceal mild dimples as well.

The role of skin tone and facial volume

Dimples are structural rather than pigmentary, but their visibility can be affected by complexion and facial contour. Genes such as OCA2 and HERC2 contribute to common eye-colour variation, while MC1R, TYR and SLC24A5 are among genes involved in pigmentation pathways. These genes do not create cheek dimples, but pigmentation and contrast can alter how clearly an indentation appears in photographs.

More importantly, infant and child facial fullness can cover or soften a shallow dimple. Babies have prominent cheek fat pads that support feeding and give the face its rounded appearance. As those fat pads change relative to the growing jaw and cheekbones, a dimple may become more noticeable, less noticeable or appear to shift slightly in position.

When do dimples become visible?

A dimple may be present from birth, but its recognisability changes considerably as the face grows. A newborn’s expressions are brief and reflexive, so even a future prominent dimple may not be easy to spot in the first weeks.

Age	Typical facial changes	What to expect from dimples
Birth to 12 months	Rounded cheeks, rapid soft-tissue growth and emerging social smiles.	Some are visible early; shallow ones may be obscured by baby fat.
Age 3	Smiles are expressive, while cheeks usually remain relatively full.	A good age to notice whether a repeatable smile indentation is present.
Age 6	The midface and jaw continue to lengthen; primary teeth begin changing.	Dimples may look sharper or less deep as facial proportions alter.
Age 10	Gradual loss of early-childhood facial roundness; individual bone structure is clearer.	Stable cheek-dimple patterns are often easier to assess.
Age 18	Most facial skeletal growth is near completion, although soft tissue still changes.	The adult pattern is usually established, but body composition can affect prominence.

It is common for a dimple to be most obvious during childhood and subtler in adulthood, or for the reverse to happen as the cheeks become less full. This does not mean the underlying inherited tendency has changed; it means the feature is being displayed through a changing face.

How to assess the likelihood in your own family

For an informed, realistic estimate, look beyond a single photograph of each parent. Observe natural smiles and, where possible, note whether dimples appear in siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles. A recurring one-sided dimple on the same side of the family can be meaningful, but it still cannot produce a precise percentage.

It helps to distinguish a consistent indentation from a temporary cheek crease. A true smile dimple usually appears in the same place repeatedly when the mouth corners lift. It may deepen with a broad smile and disappear at rest. Compare images across different ages because a parent who believes they “do not have dimples” may have shown them clearly as a child.

The most responsible expectation is therefore probabilistic: parental dimples increase the likelihood, especially where the feature is widespread in close relatives, but they do not guarantee it. Facial prediction can model inherited resemblance and plausible developmental outcomes, yet no image or genetic summary can confirm a child’s eventual dimple pattern.

Frequently asked questions

Can a baby have dimples if neither parent does?

Yes. A child may inherit contributing facial traits from grandparents or more distant relatives, and a parent may carry subtle anatomy that is not visibly expressed. Normal developmental variation can also produce a cheek indentation without an obvious family pattern.

Are cheek dimples inherited more often from the mother or father?

There is no evidence that cheek dimples are generally inherited more strongly from one parent. The relevant facial-development influences are distributed across many genes and combine with non-genetic aspects of growth. Either side of the family may contribute.

Do baby dimples disappear?

They can. Some infant cheek creases become less apparent as facial fat distribution and muscle use change. Conversely, a shallow inherited dimple may become clearer in later childhood when the face lengthens. A disappearing early crease is not necessarily a permanent anatomical dimple.

Can an ultrasound show whether my baby will have dimples?

No. Prenatal ultrasound is valuable for assessing major aspects of fetal development, but it cannot reliably identify the small facial muscle and skin-attachment differences responsible for cheek dimples. These features are best observed after birth as facial expression develops.