Before & After Pics Reveal The Most Tragic Plastic Surgery Transformations In Hollywood History

Plastic surgery is a not-so-secret weapon Hollywood celebrities have long relied on to either preserve their youth or keep themselves relevant in an industry that thrives on appearances. Ubiquitous as the practice is, it still carries an unshakeable taboo that drives many stars to deny their use of cosmetic procedures. There are still some who openly talk about embracing or regretting it, but they are a rare breed. 

In any case, given the nature of the practice that leaves visible alterations — as well as the scope of both expert and amateur online commentary today — it is hard to escape scrutiny. It is especially difficult when it comes to celebrity modifications that have been more drastic than most and left their subjects looking different — and not in the most flattering way. Here are some before-and-after celebrity pictures that reveal the most tragic plastic surgery transformations in Hollywood history. 

If there were ever a poster face for plastic surgery in Hollywood, it was Joan Rivers. The comedy queen is among the celebs whose careers were never the same after plastic surgery, having undergone so many procedures that a popular line of questioning revolved around the surgeries she hadn't gotten done, as opposed to the ones she had. "I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware," she once famously joked (via BBC). From nose jobs to tummy tucks and facelifts, Rivers underwent over 300 procedures in her lifetime, according to her daughter's memoir. 

Priscilla Presley's transformation is primarily down to a bad case of botched plastic surgery. Once celebrated for her timeless, doe-eyed beauty in her youth, Presley's appearance turned a corner sometime in the early 2000s, when she went under the knife of a quack doctor. Like many other names belonging to Hollywood's corps d'elite, Presley reportedly consulted one Daniel Serrano, who she didn't know was unauthorized to perform cosmetic procedures with his nurse license. According to TMZ, Serrano injected Presley's face with cheap industrial silicone that wasn't approved by the FDA. Serrano was later arrested, leaving Presley to become a cautionary tale in show business' love affair with plastic surgery. 

There was once a time when Kenny Rogers' public image hinged solely on his country music stardom. All that changed when he began going under the knife. Rogers himself was candid about regretting certain procedures — like eyelid surgery — that pushed his appearance to near-unrecognizable limits. "I had the money to do it and I had time off," he once told CBS News. However, Rogers wasn't too sorrowful about his cosmetic decisions, even quipping: "I don't know what I would have looked like if I hadn't done it ... So you do it and you live with it." 

Before she married former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and became a reality star, Sharon Osbourne looked like a completely different person. But in the 1980s, she underwent a facelift — the first of many — that apparently jumpstarted her love-hate relationship with plastic surgery. As the millennium turned, Sharon looked dramatically different from her former self, thanks to a string of procedures that ranged from tummy tucks to breast implants. She simultaneously has expressed regret over her choices, telling The Sun in 2023: "I really f*****g pushed it with the last facelift and I am now like, no more ... I cannot have another facelift." 

Aside from pulling in big box-office numbers with her hit romantic comedies, Hollywood sweetheart Meg Ryan was instrumental in shaping the charming, girl-next-door appeal that defined '90s beauty. When the romcom film hierarchy eventually rearranged itself, Ryan's celebrity dwindled. Add to that a physical transformation that rendered Ryan near-unrecognizable and put her under the glare of plastic surgery rumors. Today, many believe that Ryan's fuller lips, wrinkle-free skin, and tight features are the result of a possible facelift or fillers. With a simple dismissal of the speculation, Ryan told Glamour: "I can't pay attention to it." 

How Michael Jackson's notorious tryst with plastic surgery began was with a rhinoplasty, which the King of Pop underwent in the 1970s to fix a broken nose. What started as a corrective procedure eventually turned into a preoccupation of sorts, with Jackson apparently relying heavily on surgery to alter his appearance. Before his death in 2009, Jackson had looked unrecognizable next to his early "Off the Wall" days, with a fairer skin tone, restructured nose, cleft chin, and high cheekbones. Though Jackson's transformation was undeniably visible to the world, the late music icon denied any cosmetic alterations beyond a few minor procedures. 

To say that Mickey Rourke looked different before his plastic surgery would be a serious understatement. For those who grew up watching his films in the '80s, he was the ultimate screen dreamboat. But Rourke's arc switched up, and his appearance changed as he forayed into professional boxing, sustaining injuries that required surgical intervention. "I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone," he told the Daily Mail, revealing that he fell prey to some botched surgeries. Speculation persists, though, that not all of Rourke's enhancements have been corrective and that the actor may have gotten some aesthetic adjustments, too. 

One of the most tragic details about Jennifer Grey relates to her decision to change what was once her signature feature: her nose. In the '90s, fresh off the global fame "Dirty Dancing" had earned her, Grey — on the suggestion of her mother and plastic surgeons — opted to undergo a rhinoplasty (and then another one to fix the first). However, it backfired. "In the world's eyes, I was no longer me," she told People, recalling how even her acting peers couldn't recognize her anymore. Though it took her time, Grey was able to bounce back from the hiccup, even eventually humoring the punchline her nose had become.

That she is a plastic surgery enthusiast is not among the lesser-known details from Dolly Parton's life. It would be hard to recognize the country icon in photos that precede Parton's plastic surgery era, if it weren't for her unmistakable smile and blonde locks. The singer's contemporary appearance is a composite version of multiple procedures, including facelifts and breast augmentation. But, as she told "60 Minutes Australia," the extent of her plastic surgery ventures is often inflated in the media, and she doesn't do much beyond "a little nip or tuck or something here and there." 

Lara Flynn Boyle was widely considered one of the most attractive actors in Hollywood during her '90s prime. She retreated from celebrity life when her career slowed, only to re-emerge with a drastically changed appearance. Though Boyle hasn't publicly addressed her transformation — which many believe is the result of plastic surgery — her supposed discomfort with growing old was captured decades ago. She was quoted as saying (via Daily Mail): "On a vanity level, I am not looking forward to aging at all — I think I look pretty good now." 

Madonna's gradually changing appearance over the years didn't raise quite as many eyebrows as it did during the 2023 Grammys, when the "Vogue" hitmaker showed up with a new visage that rendered her unrecognizable. Her face appeared unnaturally puffy, skin looked tauter, and features seemed more defined. Though Madonna attributed her altered appearance to camera distortion on Instagram, rumors of plastic surgery exploded on the internet and have swirled ever since. Board-certified surgeon Dr. Daniel Barrett told Glam that Madonna might have had rhinoplasty, adding: "It also seems likely that she's had a face and neck lift, potentially more than one."

In the years after his "High School Musical" peak waned and he matured into a serious Hollywood star, Zac Efron's appearance underwent a transformation as drastic as his career. For example, in 2021, Efron appeared in a viral video with a face that prompted viewers on X (formerly Twitter) to share screenshots and speculate about plastic surgery for years. His skin appeared tauter, and his jaw looked altered. In an interview with Men's Health, Efron addressed the rumors, claiming that his supposedly new face was the result of a chin injury that had inflated his facial muscles.  

The transformation of Donatella Versace over the years has been dramatic, to put it mildly. Though she has never openly spoken about it, the Versace's changing face has long put her at the center of speculation about plastic surgery procedures she may have undergone. During her early years in the fashion industry, the Italian designer's face bore visibly softer features, enhanced with little more than makeup. As her age and distinction increased, so did the changes to her appearance. Her noticeably fuller lips and taut face have fueled relentless rumors of everything from facelifts to fillers, lip augmentation, and Botox. 

The nature of Farrah Abraham's celebrity has evolved as the spotlight has shifted from her "Teen Mom" fame to her physical appearance. The reality star has transformed significantly with the help of plastic surgery, which she openly endorses for women. " ... My boyfriends really get a deal hanging out with me because it's, like, a million-dollar body straight up," she told the Daily Mail, characteristically unabashed about her enthusiasm for cosmetic procedures. From breast augmentation to rhinoplasty and implants, Abraham has gone under the knife several times, even documenting the botched side of plastic surgery for fans online. 

Over the past few years, Simon Cowell's face seems to have been changing at a pace fans can't keep up with. Things reached a head in 2025 when the competition show judge's appearance began looking like an AI version of himself, as some fans have suggested. Admitting to using Botox and fillers, he told The Sun in 2022: "There was a stage where I might have gone a bit too far. I saw a picture of me from 'before' the other day, and didn't recognize it as me first of all." The internet, however, suspects Cowell may have had more work done, including a possible facelift and eyelid procedures. 

Melanie Griffith belongs to that league of once-popular '70s actresses who are completely unrecognizable today. And in the case of the "Working Girl" star, age has not been the only factor at play. Aside from her breast augmentation in the '90s, Griffith hasn't explicitly specified which parts of her body she enhanced. But popular narratives suggest there's been a lip job and a possible facelift. In a rare interview with Porter magazine, Griffith hinted at feeling regret over surgeries she got decades ago, admitting she had many dissolved after listening to public opinion. "Hopefully, I look more normal now," she said (via E! News). 

Gene Simmons has always been a figure of excess and theatrics, so it's only fitting for his encounter with plastic surgery to be just as dramatic. The KISS bassist's facelift was performed under the glare of cameras for a 2007 segment as part of his reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels." Fans got to watch the legendary rocker and his now-wife Shannon Tweed undergoing plastic surgery together. "It was like my face was peeled off and slung over my shoulder," Simmons later told People. As of this writing, Simmons keeps a relatively low profile, but every public appearance still sparks renewed fascination with his looks. 

Sylvester Stallone's hunky frame was at the center of his celebrity during his youth. As the "Rambo" star has aged though, the conversation has shifted to his face, which many believe shows signs of plastic surgery procedures. Handsome as he still is, Stallone's features appear curiously smooth for a man his age, to begin with. For several years now, his skin has been taut and eyebrows arched, leading experts to postulate that Stallone's enduringly good looks are being maintained through facelifts, brow lifts, eyelid surgery, and possibly even a necklift.

Cher has transformed a lot between her Sonny & Cher days and now. As youthful as she looks, the pop veteran has been frank about relying on plastic surgery to look the way she does, turning a deaf ear to all the tabloid chatter likening her to stars like Michael Jackson. "If I want to put my t*ts on my back, it's nobody's business but my own," she told ABC News in 2002. While confirming that she has gotten work done, she dismissed rumors that suggested she had gotten cheek implants and had her ribs removed. Cher is also said to have undergone rhinoplasty and breast augmentation. 

Reid Ewing is one of those rare celebrities who have been astoundingly honest about having undergone cosmetic enhancements. But he also counts himself among that crop of stars who regret going under the knife. In 2008, Ewing received his first procedure, cheek implants, at 19. "'No one is allowed to be this ugly,' I thought. 'It's unacceptable,'" Ewing wrote in a 2015 essay for HuffPost, revealing his struggles with body dysmorphia. After multiple rounds of sloppy surgery, he was able to pull the plug, writing, "Before seeking to change your face, you should question whether it is your mind that needs fixing." 

Janice Dickinson was one of the hottest models of the 1970s and '80s, known industry-wide for her angular face and naturally striking features that graced everything from runways to magazine covers. As the years wore on, Dickinson began getting nips and tucks as maintenance. She went in for her first operation at 32, which she revealed on the "Off the Vine" podcast. And when asked if she regretted getting work done on herself, she replied simply, "Oh, no." Though Dickinson's downfall from fame had little to do with her aesthetic choices, her changed physical appearance did render her unrecognizable from her catwalk days. 

In the time before his tragic death in 2024, Liam Payne had been sporting a considerably different look than the one fans remembered from his One Direction days. His once cherubic face, with its soft features and boyish charm, had given way to a sculpted appearance that invited inevitable rumors of plastic surgery. According to a popular line of theory, there was more than just the natural passage of age at work in Payne's transformation. His chiseled jawline and sunken cheeks led cosmetic experts to suggest that the singer had opted for multiple procedures that ranged from buccal fat removal to cheek implants, and even possibly fillers.