Celebrity Facelifts: The Most Talked About Ones of All Time

Celebrity face lift has become one of the most discussed subjects in cosmetic surgery. Some celebrities openly document their facelift surgery, recovery, and results, while others spark widespread speculation simply because their facial features suddenly appear smoother, tighter, or more youthful.

Today, the conversation around a celebrity face lift is also very different from the obvious, tightly pulled look once associated with plastic surgery. Modern techniques such as the deep plane facelift, SMAS facelift, lower facelift, and neck lift focus on repositioning deeper facial tissues to create a refreshed, natural appearance while preserving the person’s recognizable features.

From Kris Jenner and Denise Richards to Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper, some of Hollywood’s biggest names have attracted attention because of dramatic or surprisingly subtle changes in their appearance. The important distinction is that some celebrity facelifts have been publicly confirmed, while others remain rumors based entirely on photographs and speculation.

Key Takeaways About Celebrity Facelifts

Some of the most famous celebrity facelifts are confirmed. Kris Jenner, Denise Richards, Bunnie Xo, Ricki Lake, Marc Jacobs, Kathy Griffin, Sharon Osbourne, Gene Simmons, and several other celebrities have publicly discussed undergoing facelift surgery.

Not every youthful celebrity face proves plastic surgery. Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Lindsay Lohan, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise have all attracted cosmetic-surgery speculation without verified confirmation of a facelift surgery.

Natural-looking results dominate modern facelift goals. Instead of simply pulling excess skin tighter, modern facelift techniques can reposition deeper tissues to improve the cheeks, lower face, defined jawline, and neck while preserving a natural appearance.

Deep plane facelift surgery has become one of the most talked-about techniques. It works beneath more superficial layers of the face and is frequently discussed alongside SMAS facelift techniques for creating natural results.

Facelifts are different from fillers and other aesthetic procedures. Facial fillers, lip fillers, Botox, laser treatments, an endoscopic brow lift, eyelid surgery, and even unrelated procedures such as breast implants fall under cosmetic procedures, but they do not equal a facelift.

What Is a Celebrity Facelift?

A celebrity facelift is simply facelift surgery performed on someone in the public eye, but the term has become closely associated with exceptionally subtle facial rejuvenation. The best celebrity facelifts tend to attract attention because the celebrity appears more youthful without looking dramatically different.

A facelift, medically called rhytidectomy, improves visible aging in the face and neck. Depending on the facelift procedure, it may address sagging tissues, jowls, excess skin, lost facial definition, neck skin, and changes around the lower face.

Deep Plane Facelift vs. SMAS Facelift

A deep plane facelift works within deeper facial layers and releases and repositions tissues as a connected unit. The technique can improve sagging through the cheeks and lower face while creating a smoother transition into a more defined jawline and neck. Commonly, deep plane facelifts last about 10-15 years on average. Deep plane facelifts are increasingly popular among adults aged 45-55.

A SMAS facelift also works beneath the skin by repositioning the superficial musculoaponeurotic system, or SMAS. Both techniques move beyond simply tightening skin, which helps explain why today’s natural-looking results can appear significantly different from the more obvious facelift results associated with earlier generations of cosmetic surgery.

Other Facelift Techniques

Mini Facelift

A mini facelift focuses primarily on early signs of aging in the lower face and jawline. It typically involves smaller incisions and less extensive tissue repositioning than a full facelift, making it a potential option for people with mild jowling, early skin laxity, or a less defined jawline.

Because the procedure treats a smaller area, recovery is generally shorter than with a full facelift. However, a mini facelift cannot address more advanced facial aging, significant excess skin, or pronounced neck laxity as comprehensively as deeper facelift techniques.

Facial Fat Grafting

A fat grafting restores volume that naturally decreases with age. Fat is taken from another area of the body, carefully processed, and transferred to areas such as the cheeks, temples, under-eye region, or other areas that have developed a hollow or deflated appearance.

Fat grafting can complement facelift surgery by addressing volume loss while the facelift repositions sagging tissues. The combination can help create softer, more natural-looking results by improving both facial shape and fullness rather than relying on skin tightening alone.

Nonsurgical Treatments

Non-surgical treatments such as facial fillers, Botox, laser resurfacing, and skin-tightening procedures can improve specific signs of facial aging without facelift surgery. These treatments may restore lost volume, soften wrinkles, improve skin quality, or create subtle definition in the face.

Nonsurgical cosmetic procedures work best for mild to moderate concerns and generally cannot remove significant excess skin or reposition deeper facial tissues. They can, however, be valuable for people who are not ready for surgery or for maintaining and enhancing facelift results over time.

What Does Facelift Surgery Actually Change?

Facelift surgery primarily addresses the lower and middle portions of the face. It can improve jowls, sagging facial tissue, excess skin, and neck laxity while restoring cleaner facial contours and a more youthful face. A neck lift may accompany the surgery when loose neck skin or loss of jawline definition needs additional correction.

Other aesthetic procedures address different concerns. A brow lift or endoscopic brow lift targets the upper face, while eyelid surgery can treat upper or lower lids. Facial fillers restore volume, and lip fillers enhance the lips. These procedures may complement facial plastic surgery, but they cannot reproduce everything a surgical facelift accomplishes.

Facelift Recovery

Facelift recovery typically involves swelling, bruising, tightness, and mild discomfort during the first several days after surgery. Most patients begin feeling more comfortable within the first week, while visible swelling and bruising improve over the following 2-3 weeks. Keeping the head elevated, limiting strenuous activity, and following all post-operative instructions can help support proper healing.

As recovery progresses, the face and neck gradually settle into their new contours, revealing a smoother lower face, more defined jawline, and tighter neck skin. Many patients return to work and social activities within about two to three weeks, although residual swelling can continue to improve for several months. Final facelift results become more refined over time, creating a natural, youthful appearance rather than an overly tight or operated look.

Confirmed Celebrity Facelifts in 2026

Some celebrities have removed the mystery altogether by openly discussing their surgery. These confirmed celebrity facelifts provide the clearest examples because the procedure does not need to be diagnosed from a photograph.

Kris Jenner’s Facelift

Kris Jenner has one of the most talked-about celebrity facelifts in recent years. Jenner had a facelift about 15 years ago and later confirmed another facelift before turning 70, explaining that she wanted to feel like the best version of herself.

Her refreshed appearance quickly attracted attention because her facial shape remained recognizable while her lower face, jawline, and overall contours looked noticeably rejuvenated. Although the internet frequently labels the procedure a deep plane facelift, the exact surgical technique has generated conflicting discussion, so the confirmed fact is the facelift itself rather than a specific technique.

Denise Richards’ Facelift

Denise Richards has also openly discussed undergoing significant facial plastic surgery. Richards underwent a facelift in June 2025 and later recalled the experience on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast in Aug. 2026. She initially considered addressing her neck but ultimately underwent a more comprehensive facial rejuvenation procedure involving the neck, lower face, upper face, brow, and upper eyelids.

Richard’s transformation has become one of the best examples of how a full facelift can create substantial improvement while maintaining a natural appearance. Rather than changing her fundamental facial features, the surgery restored definition and lifted aging tissues while preserving the characteristics that make Richards recognizable.

Bunnie Xo’s Facelift

Bunnie Xo publicly documented her facelift in 2026, including the early recovery period. She explained that old facial filler that remained despite attempts to dissolve it played a role in her decision to move forward with surgical intervention.

Bunnie Xo was 46 when she underwent surgery, making her another example of celebrities choosing facelift procedures at a relatively young age rather than waiting for advanced facial aging. Jelly Roll‘s wife was highly open about the procedure, and her transformation generated considerable interest among fans.

Ricki Lake, Marc Jacobs and Other Confirmed Celebrity Facelifts

Many other celebrities have openly confirmed their facelift procedures:

Ricki Lake underwent a face and neck lift after major weight loss left her with extra skin beneath her chin. She later described the surgery as a deep plane lower face and neck lift. Ricki Lake said she already “felt extra cute” before surgery but ultimately described having the procedure as a brave choice.

Marc Jacobs documented his facelift recovery in 2021, helping normalize cosmetic surgery among men and showing that celebrity facelifts are not limited to women.

Kathy Griffin has openly discussed undergoing multiple facelifts, including another procedure in 2025. Griffin has also pushed back against portraying recovery as something as simple as getting a tooth filled, joking about how “vanity takes over.”

Sharon Osbourne has openly discussed multiple facelifts. She was particularly unhappy with her last facelift in 2021 after temporary facial asymmetry caused one eye to appear different from the other.

Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed underwent facelifts in 2007, with part of their cosmetic surgery experience appearing on Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

Jackée Harry has publicly discussed undergoing a facelift and wanting her outward appearance to better reflect how energetic and youthful she felt.

Jane Fonda has openly acknowledged plastic surgery, including facial procedures involving her eyes and jawline, while also speaking candidly about aging and cosmetic surgery.

Sonja Morgan, known from The Real Housewives of New York City, she underwent a lower facelift and neck lift after Season 12, to address neck laxity and early jowling.

These cases demonstrate that there is no single motivation behind a facelift. Some people want to remove extra skin after weight loss, others want a more defined jawline, and some simply want their outside appearance to better reflect how youthful they feel.

Celebrity Facelift Rumors and Speculation Only

A noticeably youthful appearance can quickly trigger facelift rumors, especially when someone has spent decades in the public eye. However, visible change does not prove that cosmetic surgery happened.

The celebrities below have attracted significant attention, but there is an important difference between discussing what could create a particular look and claiming that a person underwent a procedure without confirmation.

Bradley Cooper Facelift Rumors

Bradley Cooper has become one of the most discussed male celebrities in recent plastic surgery speculation. Comparisons of older and newer photos have focused on his upper eyelids, lower lids, cheeks, smoother skin, lower face, and increasingly defined jawline.

However, there is no verified evidence that Bradley Cooper underwent a facelift , deep plane facelift, brow lift, neck lift, or other facial surgery. Cooper has not confirmed these procedures, so theories involving surgical or non-surgical work remain speculation rather than established fact.

His changing eye area has also generated separate speculation about whether Bradley Cooper underwent upper blepharoplasty, but that procedure has not been confirmed either.

Anne Hathaway Facelift Rumors

Anne Hathaway has attracted similar attention because her facial features have remained remarkably youthful while appearing increasingly sculpted in some recent photographs. Her smooth forehead, open eye area, cheek contours, skin quality, and defined jawline have generated theories involving Botox, facial fillers, eyelid surgery, brow lift, or even a facelift.

Hathaway has not publicly confirmed a facelift or other cosmetic surgery. Professional makeup, styling, skincare, lighting, strong facial structure, and non-surgical treatments can all contribute to a refreshed appearance, so attributing her look to surgery would go beyond the available evidence.

Lindsay Lohan Facelift Rumors

Lindsay Lohan has generated enormous online interest, with many fans pointing to smoother skin, more refined facial contours, and a more defined jawline. Facelift theories became especially common as before-and-after photographs circulated online.

Lohan has denied having a facelift or other major surgical procedures. She has instead discussed skincare and non-surgical treatments, making her one of the clearest examples of why a dramatic aesthetic transformation does not automatically prove facelift surgery.

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise Facelift Speculation

Brad Pitt regularly appears in discussions about the best celebrity facelifts because his jawline, neck, and overall facial shape have remained remarkably defined with age. Facial plastic surgeons and other cosmetic experts have publicly speculated about possible work, but Pitt has never publicly confirmed having a facelift.

Tom Cruise has generated similar speculation throughout his career. His youthful appearance has fueled theories involving a facelift, fillers, Botox, skin treatments, and other cosmetic procedures, but there is no verified public confirmation of a facelift.

In both cases, speculation should remain clearly labeled as speculation rather than presented as medical fact.

Why the Best Celebrity Facelifts Look So Natural

The best examples of facelift surgery generally do not make someone look like an entirely different person. Instead, they restore facial position, improve shape, reduce excess skin, and create better definition while maintaining the person’s natural facial features.

Natural Results Matter More Than Looking Younger

A successful facelift should preserve identity. A person may gain a cleaner jawline, smoother neck skin, lifted cheeks, or more youthful facial contours while still looking unmistakably like themselves.

That goal explains why natural-looking results have become central to conversations around the deep plane facelift, SMAS facelift, deep plane lower face surgery, and combined face and neck lift procedures. The objective is facial rejuvenation, not erasing every sign of age.

Frequently Asked Questions About Celebrity Facelifts: The Most Talked About Ones of All Time

Which celebrities have confirmed having a facelift?

Confirmed celebrity facelifts include Kris Jenner, Denise Richards, Bunnie Xo, Ricki Lake, Marc Jacobs, Kathy Griffin, Sharon Osbourne, Gene Simmons, Jackée Harry, and Sonja Morgan. Jane Fonda has also openly discussed undergoing facial plastic surgery.

What celebrity has the best facelift plastic surgery?

There is no objective answer because the best celebrity facelifts depend on personal aesthetic preferences. However, Kris Jenner, Denise Richards, Ricki Lake, and Marc Jacobs are frequently discussed because their results demonstrate how facial rejuvenation can create a younger, more defined appearance while maintaining recognizable facial features.

What is the difference between a deep plane facelift and a regular facelift?

A deep plane facelift releases and repositions deeper facial tissues rather than relying primarily on skin tightening. Other modern approaches, including the SMAS facelift, also reposition tissues beneath the skin. The appropriate facelift procedure depends on facial anatomy, skin laxity, neck laxity, aging pattern, and the individual’s aesthetic goals.

Can fillers make someone look like they had a facelift?

Facial fillers can restore lost volume and enhance areas such as the cheeks or jawline, while Botox and other aesthetic procedures can soften certain signs of aging. However, fillers cannot remove significant excess skin or reposition descended facial tissues in the same way facelift surgery can.

Conclusion and Summary of Celebrity Facelifts: The Most Talked About Ones of All Time

Celebrity facelifts have changed dramatically from the obvious, tightly pulled results that once defined public perceptions of plastic surgery. Modern facelift surgery focuses increasingly on restoring deeper facial structure, reducing excess skin, improving the lower face and neck, and creating natural-looking results that preserve a person’s identity.

Ultimately, the most successful facelift is not about copying a celebrity’s beauty secrets. It is about choosing a facelift procedure that fits the individual’s facial anatomy, age, skin quality, degree of neck laxity, and aesthetic goals while preserving a natural appearance.

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Facelift with Neck Lift

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About the Author – Meet Dr. Sam Sukkar, MD

Dr. Sam Sukkar, MD, FACS is a highly respected Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon in Houston, Texas, known for his expertise in advanced cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. As the founder of The Clinic for Plastic Surgery, Dr. Sukkar has set a new standard for excellence, performing over 20,000 procedures with a focus on delivering natural, refined results.

Dr. Sukkar earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in 1992 after graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. He then completed an intensive General Surgery Residency at the University of Texas Hermann Hospital before being selected for a highly competitive Plastic Surgery Fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago, one of the most prestigious training programs in the country.

With more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Sukkar is a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He is also an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the Houston Society of Plastic Surgery (HSPS). His dedication to innovation and continuing education has solidified his reputation as a leading expert in aesthetic surgery, specializing in breast surgery, body contouring, facial procedures, and non-invasive treatments.

Dr. Sukkar’s expertise has been recognized by Houston Magazine, naming him one of Houston’s “Top Docs for Women,” and he has been featured among RealSelf’s America’s Top Doctors. Committed to his patients, he prioritizes personalized care, ensuring every individual feels informed, comfortable, and confident in their aesthetic journey.

Contact Dr. Sukkar today to schedule a consultation, visit DrSukkar.com to learn more, or call us directly at (281) 940-1535.

Cover Image Illustration (Conceptual Representation) by: Dr. Sam Sukkar, MD, The Clinic for Plastic Surgery.

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