The Real Reason Behind Chin Dimples Has Left People Unhappy

Chin dimples have long been admired as a cute facial quirk. Some see them as a sign of beauty, even proof of genetic uniqueness.

But recently, social media erupted when the real cause behind chin dimples was explained and many viewers wished it hadnโ€™t been revealed.

Actors like Henry Cavill have a natural chin dimple, and Michael Jackson is famously said to have had one surgically added.

Michael Jackson had a chin dimple surgically put in. Credit: Wikimedia

It began when a TikTok user asked, point-blank: โ€œWhat is this thing?โ€โ€”pointing to a small indentation at the bottom of his chin.

Science communicator Hank Green responded, and his explanation quickly went viral. Green said chin dimples are caused by the mentalis muscle, a muscle that unlike most in the body โ€” connects bone to skin rather than bone to bone. Green noted:

โ€œItโ€™s in your chin and it is very weird. You have identified correctly a weird muscle. Well done.โ€

He contrasted that with most muscles, which help us move by pulling bones toward each other. In the face, many muscles instead โ€œyank on skin.โ€

The tipping point came when Green described how the mentalis muscleโ€™s fibers actually extend into the skin.

โ€œYou can see the mentalis here, doing an absolutely wild thing, sticking all of its little muscle fibres into your skin,โ€ he said. โ€œWhen you contract that muscle, it yanks. It yanks on the skin and makes those little dimples.โ€

He concluded with an unflinching remark: โ€œItโ€™s a little weird. Weโ€™re all made out of meat.โ€

What had once been an innocuous facial trait suddenly became the subject of disgust and fascination alike.

Some coverage further emphasizes that the mentalis is a paired, conical muscle hidden deep within the chinโ€”and that its anchoring to the skin is what creates those dimples when flexed.

In short: chin dimples are not just cute quirks. Theyโ€™re little indentations created by muscle fibers tugging skinโ€”something people admit they might have preferred to remain ignorant about.

Featured Image: (Alamy/Canva)

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Mahnoor
My name is Mahnoor Saif. Contributing to Trending That, I cover a range of subjects including current events and trends. My articles aim is to highlight thoughtful insights, and stories that resonate with readers.