Woman spends $60K on cosmetic surgery that includes getting dimples

By Yasmin Choudhury via SWNS

A woman who has splashed $60k on cosmetic surgery has undergone a procedure to get dimples.

Erin Paige Melendrez, 28, spent $2,300 on dimpleplasty - a cosmetic procedure which involves making an incision on the cheek to make small indents in the face.

It took six months for the dimples to look natural and Erin was thrilled with her results, she said.

In total she has spent an estimated $50k to $60k on all of her cosmetic enhancements - including two nose jobs, "cat-eye" surgery and breast implants.

She's had tonsil removal, a full face Botox, undereye PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatments and laser hair removal.

She has also had porcelain veneers twice and says she got "illegal butt injections" when she was 22.

Erin, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, said: "After dimple surgery I just felt sore like I had just gotten a shot - no pain.

"I felt tight but my cheeks were newly sewn. The stitches dissolved seven days later.

"I was able to leave right after the dimpleplasty.

"I just had a hard time eating right away so it was soups, jellos and things like that for the first three days.

"I’ve always loved dimples and when I saw how cheap it was to get them, I flew out two weeks after.

"I didn’t really do research like I should have - I was just excited and booked it because I saw awesome before and after photos. I couldn’t wait to be one.

"It was my first time ever flying alone but I was determined. I flew there and back the same day.

"I skipped class to go get surgery. I came back wearing a covid mask to cover my cheeks so they wouldn’t know I left for surgery.

"I loved every part of my results - every phase."

Dimpleplasty was a relatively unknown procedure 10 years ago but has slowly come into the mainstream.

Erin didn't want to look like any celebrities but is a big fan of the actress, Lauren London, who has prominent dimples.

The aesthetician and Only Fans creator said the procedure took less than 20 minutes.

Erin was called in and had her cheeks marked where the incisions would be made, in August last year at a clinic in Atlanta, Ga.

When the wound healed and the stitches dissolved, the scar tissue between the inner skin and the muscle made the indent permanent.

Erin paid $1,800 plus a $500 deposit.

When she first posted the results on her TikTok page, Erin's man-made dimples looked much deeper, which she says resulted in trolling.

One user commented: "It makes your face look disfigured and you actually look older."

Another said: "This straight up looks like a puppet version of Michael Jackson."

Erin said: "I knew right after surgery they would look really deep and swollen so I expected it to look a little crazy.

"Once healed they relaxed.

"In school we had to wear covid masks, so no one knew what I had done.

"At first they are very deep and appear without smiling. Once healed they relax and only show when smiling."

Erin has always been very open about her cosmetic enhancements, she said.

She said: "I wanted to share my journey while letting people ahead of time know I don’t care what they think.

"I’ll always do what Erin wants to do because it’s my face and my money.

"The reaction was good and bad.

"Good because kind people understand it made me happy and my video went viral so I got paid.

"Some reactions were rude and mean but I got paid either way.

"The videos posted about it basically paid me back for my surgery costs."

Erin says she was paid by TikTok and Instagram repost pages who credited her for her dimpleplasty-related videos.

Erin will be getting a third rhinoplasty next year because she says she was assaulted a month after her second.

Cosmetic doctor Dr. Aamer Khan from Harley Street said he had over 50 patients a month come to him for a dimpleplasty.

He said: “It is a rising trend, it’s mostly due to the popularity of celebrities who have dimples - people like Kate Middleton, Miranda Kerr, Harry Styles, Gabrielle Union and Cheryl Cole."