A cleft chin is an inherited trait. It looks like a dimple or an indentation on the individual's chin. In a person with a cleft chin, the underlying jaw bone has a similar structure.
In normal human fetal development, the right and left sides of the lower half of the jaw fuse together before birth. When the fusion of the two sides doesn't take place properly, the baby is born with a cleft chin.
The genetics of facial characteristics is a fascinating area and a cleft chin is actually caused by a dominant gene. This doesn't necessarily mean that if you happen to have a cleft chin, that all of your children will have this facial trait as well.
Every person inherits two sets of genes that determine the shape of their chin, one from each parent. If you happened to inherit two genes for cleft chin, then your children will have the same trait. However, if you only inherited one gene for cleft chin and one for a smooth chin, then your children may not all have this trait.
You also need to consider that any children you have will also inherit half of their genes from the other parent. Your partner's genetic makeup factors into whether your children have a cleft chin or a smooth one. If you and your partner have both inherited two cleft chin genes, the likelihood your children will have this trait is 100 percent.
Having a cleft chin may be considered an attractive trait. Here are some examples of famous people who have cleft chins.
- Ben Affleck
- Marc Anthony
- Timothy Dalton
- Michael Douglas
- Cary Grant
- Hulk Hogan
- Huey Lewis
- Jerry Lewis
- Ricky Martin
- Charles Lindbergh
- Tony Parker
- Trey Parker
- Ashlee Simpson
- Jessica Simpson
- Anna Nicole Smith
- Patrick Stewart
- Lee Van Cleef
- Jesse Ventura
- Elijah Wood
Cleft chins also appear in fictional characters. Here are some examples:
- Buzz Lightyear
- Captain America
- Dudley Do-Right
- He-Man
- Popeye
- Superman
- Wario