The Transformation Of Candace Cameron Bure's Face Can't Go Unnoticed

Candace Cameron Bure has spent more than four decades in the public eye, and her evolution from child actress to full-blown Hollywood star has long been a topic of conversation among fans and critics. From her breakout role as D.J. Tanner in the American sitcom "Full House" to her reign as Hallmark's film icon and now her position as chief content officer of Great American Media, Cameron Bure's longevity in Hollywood has made her the subject of media scrutiny — and it is not due to her acting prowess.

In an industry dominated by impossible beauty standards, anti-aging "tricks," and relentless focus on appearances, Cameron Bure has been on the receiving end of "bad aging" claims and plastic surgery "accusations." The 49-year-old mother of three, however, is unafraid to defend herself on social media, where she documents her life openly. To those who question her appearance, her life offers one response: No child star stays young forever. Here is a look at how her face has transformed over the years.

Before "Full House," Candace Cameron Bure guest starred on shows like "St. Elsewhere," "Who's the Boss?" and "Growing Pains" alongside her brother Kirk Cameron. The young star embraced her natural beauty (as any child would) — wide eyes, round cheeks, and frizzy hair with bangs. At 10, she landed her breakout role as the eldest daughter of the Tanner family, D.J. Tanner. From that moment, the media constantly scrutinized her looks — and so did her family.

The actor has shared that her early exposure to fame was not as glamorous as it may have seemed because she did not look like the typical '80s child star. In July 2025, on "The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast," she revealed that she was put on a diet at just 12 years old due to Hollywood pressures to look skinnier. "I had cheeks and I had thicker arms and I was, like, a normal 12-year-old, you know?" she said. "I really was a normal 12-year-old, but I had a little bit more fat on me than other kids on TV." But she does not blame her parents for the sketchy decision. "[T]hey were just fearful that I would develop an eating disorder, just because of all the pressures." The meddling views on her weight led to body image issues at a young age, which continued into her teenage years.

Candace Cameron Bure is no longer the young, wide-eyed D.J. Tanner on television, and the internet never misses an opportunity to remind her. The actress has been honest about how she receives daily comments that point out how much she is aging, as if she does not own a mirror in her own home. A particular incident on her Instagram Story really showed how ruthless the internet can be. The actress shared her sermon notes and where to purchase a new Bible, only for a troll to turn the harmless post into a post about beauty standards. Responding, she revealed an important truth. "Aging is sensitive," she wrote (via Us Weekly). "Comments like this hurt, no matter whether they meant to be mean spirited or just a shared 'opinion.'"

As much as the actress vehemently states that she embraces aging, constant criticism still affects her, and it is not hard to see why when people constantly throw her age in her face as an insult. On her self-titled podcast (via Instagram), she recalled filming a flashback scene set 15 years earlier, when a filmmaker bluntly told her that her neck had to be digitally altered so she would look younger. The whole production process rattled her, from comments about her neck to the VFX team fussily smoothing out her wrinkles. With a good-natured laugh at the entire scenario, she said, "Oh, great. I'm going back to therapy."

Candace Cameron Bure's Instagram has 5.7 million followers and is full of pictures and videos of the actor documenting her daily life, promoting her podcast, and promoting films she's working on for the Great American Family channel. Some posts are of her in full glam, while others are of her in her natural state, which she seems comfortable showing off. In November 2025, she shared a video from home with a fresh face as she explained how she's learning to style her short hair. In another post, she posted a selfie from the gym with a big smile on her face.

By choosing transparency over polish, Cameron Bure sends a message to those overly fixated on looks: Confidence and authenticity always win. In 2023, the "Dancing With the Stars" alumna shared the ultimate makeup-free look in a series of selfies and poked fun at herself for needing her glasses to read her Bible. The comments were positive, for the most part, relating to her struggles and praising her for her unfiltered bravery. "You are so beautiful. I love your real face/skin post. Keep bringing the sunshine," one fan said. Another wrote, "I love that you post about this."

It seems like Candace Cameron Bure may have given in to Hollywood pressures to look younger after all, considering that the actor has admitted to getting some work done. In 2020, she told New Beauty that she had "had a Harmony Dye-VL laser treatments for the dark sunspots, pigmentation, and melasma on my face that I suffer from the most." Her reason for this was her carelessness in taking care of her skin in her younger years, which caused sun damage. She also stated in the interview that she did not consider herself a frequent Botox user, but admitted, "I may get it once a year (or less) on my forehead only to lessen my 'angry' lines."

She also talked about her Botox use with Us Weekly in 2024. "I was trying to fight the good fight," she explained. "[Y]et I was looking at my face getting more wrinkles, and I just wanted to get more Botox." Despite the brave plastic surgery admission, she wants to "age as naturally as possible" and not be judged for her decision to get cosmetic treatments. "I've always said I think everyone should age however they want to age. I don't know how I'm going to feel in 10 years — if I want to get a facelift, I'll get a facelift." And the cosmetic surgery exploration would not end there. She told New Beauty that she is open to using "fat melters" to tame the "stubborn areas like my lower back love handles."

The "Fuller House" star is known for being very transparent about her beauty secrets and skin care routine. Speaking to E! News, she revealed that the only skin care brand she trusts is that of renowned celebrity dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer. "I became a patient of his 11 years ago, and that's when I started coming back to television," she recalled in the video interview. Her skin was so bad that when she was filming "Make It or Break It" from 2009 to 2012, the director had to call the makeup artists out several times in between takes to color correct her skin. She had an array of dark spots on her face and admits that those years were not her best looks-wise.

She credits Lancer's products with helping to rejuvenate her skin and restore her confidence. "He has repaired my skin. He has allowed my skin to glow and improve from my early 30s and now into my 40s and I couldn't be more thrilled with it ... because I believe in it so much." Some of the products she swears by include: Lancer Skincare The Method: Polish Facial Exfoliator, Lancer Skincare The Method: Cleanse Face Cleanser, and Lancer Skincare The Method: Nourish Women's Anti-Aging Moisturizer.

Candace Cameron Bure has improved her skin over the years, and this was evident during her Hallmark era. Dubbed the Hallmark "Queen of Christmas" by fans due to her fondness for starring in holiday films on the channel, the actor has appeared in about 30 of its films since 2008. From "Moonlight & Mistletoe" (her debut Christmas film on Hallmark) to "The Christmas Contest," Cameron Bure has been responsible for spreading the holiday cheer every December with her pristine looks, dashing outfits, and megawatt smile.

It is also hard to forget her as true crime junkie Aurora Teagarden in "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries," in which she starred as the titular character in 18 films. As one of her most beloved roles on the channel, it is easy to tell that her face has matured and bloomed into that of an adult. She swapped her dirty blond hair with bangs for a strawberry blond look and still kept the "wide face" that was the source of so much media scrutiny in her childhood years. She may have left Hallmark to be with Great American Media in 2022 due to contract expiration and religious differences, but her legacy at Hallmark can never be undone. "I'm very proud of the work I did at Hallmark for 15 years and love all my friends there," she said in May 2024 in response to a fan's inquiry on Instagram.