Hollywood, in a lot of ways, is obsessed with the art of reinvention, and for many stars, this reinvention begins with their face.
In recent years, a wave of cosmetic trends has become prolific in Tinseltown, from injectables like Ozempic-slimmed jawlines to buccal fat removal, both of which have become as popular as they are controversial among netizens.
Some transformations from these procedures are subtle, but others are more shocking, for better or worse.
This list takes you through some of Hollywood’s most talked-about facial overhauls over the years. Whether they were the result of cosmetic procedures, accidents, or simply the passage of time, these stars have caught headlines for their drastically changed looks.
#1 Jocelyne Wildenstein
Jocelyn Wildenstein, known as “Catwoman,” has transformed her face through procedures that are designed to invoke a feline aesthetic. Her high cheekbones and stretched skin have shocked fans over the years, making her a tabloid staple. In previous comments, she admitted that some of her cosmetic procedures were motivated by her previous husband’s aversion to aging.
Wildenstein has since passed away due to a pulmonary embolism. Her ex-husband, in a previous comment, stated that “she was thinking that she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin does not work that way. But she wouldn’t listen.”
Image source: jocelynewildenstein
#2 Lyn Maychi
Lyn May’s face, once a hallmark of her Mexican vedette fame, has been dramatically altered by cosmetic complications. In the 1990s, a woman promising youthful looks reportedly injected her with what she later found was baby oil. While this did not cause any immediate problems, the injections later caused abscesses and severe swelling in her face.
Multiple surgeries to remove the foreign substance left her appearance permanently changed. Despite her botched appearance, one cannot help but admire May’s openness about her ordeal, which highlights the risks of unregulated cosmetic procedures.
Image source: lyn_may_
#3 Joan Van Ark
Joan Van Ark’s face has shifted dramatically from her Knots Landing days, sparking buzz about multiple cosmetic procedures. Reports point to Botox, laser treatments, facelifts, brow lifts, cheek implants, and dermal fillers, though she hasn’t confirmed specifics. Her once-natural elegance now appears taut and sculpted, altering her iconic look.
Unfortunately for JVA, her changed look over the years has resulted in netizens admitting that she is not aging as gracefully since she now has a more “botched” appearance. This has resulted in her being part of lists featuring celebrities with bad cosmetic surgery results.
Image source: Harry Langdon/Getty, Jesse Grant/Getty
#4 Donatella Versace
Donatella Versace’s face has evolved dramatically, with tighter skin and fuller lips defining her look. While she has not really publicly discussed any cosmetic treatments, it is widely speculated that she has had several procedures, such as facelifts, Botox, cheek and lip fillers, and possibly a rhinoplasty. Fans also noticed that the skin on her face looked very tight and smooth with few wrinkles.
Coupled with her talent for makeup, Donatella’s look has changed drastically over the years. She embraces her transformation, but it’s difficult not to admit that her current look is a far cry from her earlier, more natural charm.
Image source: Ron Galella/Getty, Donatella Versace
#5 Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle’s face has shifted dramatically from her Twin Peaks elegance over the years. The changes in her appearance have been so notable that she eventually looked practically unrecognizable. According to London Facial Plastic Surgery, this drastic change could be the result of excessive cosmetic procedures.
Lara Flynn Boyle looks like she has had rhinoplasty, lip augmentation, dermal fillers, anti-wrinkle treatment, and possibly a facelift and brow lift. She also looks like she got a bit too much filler for her face, particularly on her cheeks and lips, giving her an overfilled face that is not particularly flattering.
Image source: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty, Michael Tullberg/Getty
#6 Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta’s face transformed dramatically, moving from the rugged intensity of his Goodfellas days to a much different look before his 2022 passing. Though he never admitted to having cosmetic procedures done, his polished complexion and less weathered features fueled rumors of Botox or facelifts.
When he attended the 2016 Screen Actors Guild Awards, fans immediately commented that he seemed like a different person and that his iconic grit had softened, according to The Sun. Amusingly enough, Liotta also sued a skin care company in 2014 for using his face to promote its “age-defying” cream without permission.
Image source: Field of Dreams / Netflix, rayliotta
#7 Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke was one of Hollywood’s most ruggedly handsome leading men in his prime. However, years of brutal boxing injuries, including two broken noses and a fractured cheekbone, and multiple reconstructive surgeries, have taken a toll on his looks. At one point, cartilage from his ear was taken so doctors could rebuild his nose.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mickey Rourke shared some of his experiences in the boxing ring. “I was a good amateur and took a year off due to a concussion. I grew up in a gym in Miami, the one where Muhammad Ali trained. I had 142 amateur fights and lost three. I had my nose broken twice. I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone,” he said.
Image source: Diane Freed/Getty, Paul Archuleta/Getty
#8 Carrot Top
Carrot Top, also known as Scott Thompson, swapped his quirky, wild redhead look for a strikingly chiseled appearance over the years. His sharper jawline and smoother skin have fans buzzing about extensive plastic surgery, including plenty of Botox, brow lifts, and facial fillers.
Carrot Top, however, has denied that he had cosmetic surgery done. In an interview with Florida Today, he jokingly said that if he had surgery done, he would look so much better. “I didn’t do steroids or anything, I just worked out a lot, and I never had any plastic surgery. If I was going to have plastic surgery, I would look better than this,” he said.
Image source: NBC/Getty, Gregg DeGuire/Getty
#9 Janice Dickinson
Janice Dickinson’s current look is a far cry from her supermodel heyday, and while a lot of it could stem from aging, a good portion of it is also likely due to extensive cosmetic surgery. In an interview with People magazine, she described the first time she had work done. “I was dating Sylvester Stallone, and I was 32. I noticed I started getting jowls from this bit,” she said, referring to her jawline.
That was the start of numerous cosmetic procedures. She has been candid about her multiple procedures, which include facelifts, breast augmentations, and Botox. She has also hinted at getting fat injected into her face around the time she was a judge on America’s Next Top Model.
Image source: Harry Langdon/Getty, janicedickinson
#10 Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes’ face has drastically changed since her Nickelodeon days, sparking curiosity among netizens. In December 2023, Bynes addressed speculations about her look on TikTok, admitting that she had a blepharoplasty, which removed excess skin from her eye corners.
More than her blepharoplasty, however, Amanda Bynes’ drastic changes to her look also came following a period where she experienced mental health and substance abuse, as well as several run-ins with the law. While she has yet to return to acting, she did recently launch an OF Page, though she maintained that she would not be posting “any sleazy content.”
Image source: Bryan Bedder/Getty, BG025/Bauer-Griffin/Getty
#11 Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone’s face has evolved noticeably in recent years, shifting from his rugged Rocky look to a tighter appearance. Experts noted that Sly’s face showed signs of facelifts, eyelid surgery, Botox injections, and possibly a hair transplant. Stallone has not confirmed that he has had these procedures, though he has been open about having work done in the past.
When preparing for Rocky, for example, he admitted that he had the left side of his face surgically lifted to address his crooked mouth. In recent years, however, his smoother forehead and lifted brows, paired with natural aging and weight changes, have created a “frozen” look of sorts.
Image source: officialslystallone
#12 Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling’s face has evolved strikingly from her Beverly Hills, 90210 days, sparking buzz about cosmetic procedures. She has spoken about exosome therapy for skin rejuvenation, according to AOL, though she has credited her makeup artist’s contouring for some of her face’s more notable changes.
“I have an amazing makeup artist now. She does contour like no one else. I look completely different. I look like I had a nose job, and it’s straight now. It’s contouring. It’s all contouring,” she said.
Experts, however, have speculated that she may have also used possible filler injections and a tummy tuck, at least based on observations of her facial structure and abdominal contour.
Image source: Harry Langdon/Getty, torispelling
#13 Lisa Rinna
Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna shocked social media when she showed up at the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards with a face that appeared strangely tight and swollen. Her face was so drastically different that TikTok beauty influencers were analyzing her “overfilled look.”
Interestingly enough, Lisa later acknowledged that she did have work done, but she was not happy with its results at all, according to a People magazine report. “Skinvive is not for everyone, and it was not good for me. Luckily, we could dissolve it today. Whew,” she wrote on TikTok.
Image source: Jim Smeal/Getty, lisarinna
#14 Zac Efron
Zac Efron’s face has evolved from High School Musical heartthrob to a more rugged look, especially in recent years. Efron has addressed plastic surgery speculation from fans by stating that the notable changes to his jawline were mostly because of a serious injury to his jaw. In an interview with Men’s Health, Efron stated that he injured his jaw several years ago when he slipped and caught his face on the corner of a granite fountain.
The impact was bad enough that he was rendered unconscious, and when he woke up, Efron stated that his chin bone was “hanging off of his face.” His recovery included physical therapy, though Efron stated that certain muscles in his face became enlarged as a result.
Image source: Charlie St. Cloud/Netflix, Taylor Hill/Getty
#15 Axl Rose
Axl Rose’s face has shifted from his gritty 1980s Guns N’ Roses look to a smoother, fuller appearance that almost made him look like a different person. While he hasn’t confirmed surgery, experts at International Plus Turkey suggest that he possibly had facelifts or Botox, cheek implants, and facial injections, as hinted at by his taut skin and fuller face.
Factors like makeup for stage performances, as well as potential hair transplants, per Ariana Health Clinic, may have also contributed to Axl Rose’s changed appearance. Fans have also highlighted that Axl Rose’s career as a rockstar is known for taking a huge toll on the body, thanks to the intense stage performances involved and a notably unhealthy lifestyle, among other things.
Image source: KMazur/Getty, Bryan Steffy – Formula 1/Getty
#16 Lea Michele
Lea Michele had a youthful look during her years in Glee, but her face turned heads in late 2022 with its strikingly sculpted look. Her distinctly different appearance ignited rumors that she got some fillers and had buccal fat removal surgery to slim her cheeks, according to a Yahoo Entertainment report.
Michele hasn’t addressed the surgery speculation, though fans are still guessing if her evidently new looks are the result of clever makeup, a cosmetic tweak, or just the natural effects of aging. That said, buccal fat removal surgery is gaining ground among Hollywood A-listers, as noted in a Business Insider report.
Image source: leamichele
#17 Linda Evangelista
Linda Evangelista was a regular fixture of magazines and major ad campaigns in her heyday. In a comment to the Los Angeles Times, she stated that she underwent seven CoolSculpting treatments in 2015 and 2016, targeting trouble spots, including her chin and jawline, “bra flab” area under her arms, tummy, love handles and inner thighs.
Unfortunately, these CoolSculpting treatments had a bad side effect, resulting in Linda developing paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH). Instead of dying away, her fat cells increased in size, resulting in her changed appearance.
“PAH has not only destroyed my livelihood. It has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing,” she once wrote on Instagram.
Image source: Linda Evangelista/Getty, Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Getty
#18 Lil Kim
Lil’ Kim’s face has transformed dramatically from her ‘90s rap icon days, driven by cosmetic surgeries and deep-seated insecurities, according to a report from Goalcast. She’s admitted to nose jobs and other procedures like facial fillers. According to Kim, these were initially spurred by a violent altercation and later chosen to “fix” features, as shared in an interview.
Battling feelings of inadequacy from her father’s criticism and cheating partners, she felt uncompetitive as a “regular black girl” who would never be “good enough.” “It was like I could do nothing right, everything about me was wrong — my hair, my clothes, just me,” she said. Her altered look, rumored to include skin bleaching and lip injections, has sparked debate among netizens.
Image source: New York Daily News Archive/Getty, lilkimthequeenbee
#19 Renée Zellweger
Renee Zellweger’s 2014 red-carpet look at the ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards stunned fans, with many calling her “unrecognizable” and “doing a Michael Jackson” with extensive plastic surgery, according to The Glow Memo. Her drastic look was caused mostly by the removal of her distinctive hooded lids, as well as an excessive amount of filler in her cheeks. Fans also speculated that she had Botox around her eyes and forehead.
When she returned for Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016, fans were quick to notice that her eyes’ hooded folds were back, suggesting that she had her blepharoplasty reversed. Her skin still looked flat then, however, likely because of the fat that was removed during her initial procedures.
Image source: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason / Crave, Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Getty
#20 Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith’s face has transformed significantly, moving away from her Working Girl charm due to cosmetic surgery and skin cancer treatments. She’s openly discussed procedures, including surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma from her nose, and admitted to regretting some cosmetic work after others noted her altered look.
In a previous interview with Today, she admitted that she didn’t realize she overdid her cosmetic procedures until people started talking about it.
“I didn’t (realize) until people started saying. ‘Oh my god, what has she done?!’ I was so hurt, I went to a different doctor, and he started dissolving all of this s— that this other doctor had put in. Hopefully, I look more normal now,” she said.
Image source: Bettmann/Getty, Kevin Winter/Getty
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