The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Dr Gary Motykie, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, has revealed his view on which celebrities have had plastic surgery
Skin that’s been pulled so tight it begins to crack. Expression-free foreheads. Balloon lips. These are just three cosmetic surgeries loved by celebrities, which most of us can spot a mile off.
But in recent years a new trend has emerged: tweakments that are so subtle only the professionals can spot them.
While some still take serious surgery too far – like Madonna, for example – these cases are becoming less and less common, due to astonishing advancements in surgical techniques.
Dr Gary Motykie, a Los-Angeles based plastic surgeon, told that advances in technology over the past decade means you’d never guess half the celebrities who’ve had work done.
While Taylor Swift is often praised for her ‘Girl Next Door’ look and famous for her natural appearance, Dr Motykie said he was ‘almost 100 percent sure’ she had had filler put into her lips and maintenance Botox.
And Kendall Jenner, who is often thought of as the ‘natural Kardashian’, is not free from surgery either, he believes, having also gone for filler and a nose job.
Among male celebrities he said Prince Harry and David Beckham had both likely had work done on their hair and, for more dramatic transformations, pointed to Bad Bunny who had likely received filler to change the shape of his face.
Dr Motykie, who runs a channel on tweakments on Instagram with 200,000 followers, made the judgements based on clinical experience.
The celebrities have not revealed they have had surgery with the exclusion of Anne Hathaway, who has previously said she ‘always wanted’ a nose job, and Sofia Richie, who has shared a picture with her plastic surgeon.
Below is Dr Motykie, who is also famous on Instagram, list of celebrities which have had secret tweaks:
Taylor Swift: ‘Almost 100% sure’ she used lip fillers
Taylor Swift (pictured left in 2008 and right more recently) has not had much work done, Dr Motykie believes, although he is ‘almost 100 percent certain’ she had some procedures. He believes she has had a nose job, surgery on the upper eyelid and filler in the lips and brow
Taylor Swift, 33, is famed for her ‘natural’ appearance, but Dr Motykie said he was ‘almost 100 percent certain’ she was ‘doing maintenance’ behind the scenes.
‘Taylor has really not done too much, but there are some subtle things I’ve noticed.
‘Her eyes have always been very heavy since she’s been younger, but now they are a little more open.
‘So I’m a little suspicious that at some point she might have done an upper eyelid or upper blepharoplasty to open up that eyelid.
‘And then I think her nose may have changed just a bit in its width. It’s a little bit more contoured and narrower now, maybe slightly. So either a finesse was done or a kind of rhinoplasty.
‘And then I think she has had work on her lips. When we see lips over the course of history, they don’t tend to get fuller as we get older — but her’s seem to get a little bit fuller. So, I’m saying that she’s done a little bit of lip filler.
‘I would say in the way of the lips I would go almost 100 percent certain [she had that done] and the maintenance Botox.
‘I’d say the upper eyes and nose I put it at about 75 percent.’
Taylor Swift has never confirmed she has had any cosmetic procedures.
Filler into the lips costs between $500 and $1,500, with the average procedure using just one syringe. Botox costs $300 to $500 and lasts for three to four months.
A spokesperson for Taylor Swift denied the allegations, saying the star has ‘not had any of these procedures’.
Prince Harry: ‘Spray-on hair’
Dr Motykie said the Prince, 39, had likely used fillers to help obscure his thinning hairline. He is pictured above attending an Invictus Games event in 2022 (left) and in 2023 on the webpage for BetterUp, which aims to improve people’s lives
The 39-year-old prince and now California native appears to be using spray-on hair in order to clear up his thinning hairline, Dr Motykie said, rather than the transplants he was previously accused of having.
‘The crown of his hair was thinning quite severely, but then he showed up with a much fuller head of hair and everybody was speculating about whether he had hair transplants or if it was something else.
‘I think in his case though, with how fast it happened and the color, I think it’s more likely that he used some sort of spray on hair fibers.
‘This is actually artificial hair that is sprayed on there with a darker color and it sticks to the hair and makes it look much thicker.
‘For either exosome injections or transplants to thicken the hair, it would have taken much longer for either to take full effect — maybe a few short years for injections and three to six months for fibers.
‘So with how quickly this took effect, I am leaning more towards spraying some sort of hair fibers.’
Prince Harry has never confirmed what treatments he may be having on his thinning hairline, but speculation was rife when his profile page debuted on the website for mental health tech startup BetterUp.
Spray-on hair fibers can last for days if done properly. They bind to hairs left on the head to give it a fuller appearance, and will stay in place until the next time someone uses shampoo, experts say.
They are considered to be a cosmetic procedure with a bottle of spray-on hair available for as little as $20.
Kendall Jenner: ‘She had a “nose job”‘
Kendall Jenner is famed as one of the more natural Kardashians, pictured above in 2010, left, and 2023. But Dr Motykie said she had likely had a nose job, lip filler and used Botox to reshape her face
The 27-year-old has always been famed as one of the more natural Kardashians.
But Dr Motykie said: ‘Despite what she may or may not say, I think it’s almost 100 percent certain she had a rhinoplasty at some point — and is doing some touch-ups.’
A rhinoplasty is the medical term for a ‘nose job’, or the reshaping, resizing or restructuring of the nose to alter its apperance or improve its function. This procedure costs from $9,000 to $20,000.
‘The reason I say that is the bridge of her nose is now much more defined and narrow, the tip of her nose is slightly raised and more defined,’ he told DM.com.
‘This doesn’t just happen naturally and can’t be done with things like fillers. You can only do that with a rhinoplasty.
‘You can also see that her lips became fuller, in particular the upper lip, so most likely some lip filler is involved.
‘It’s also likely she is using Botox, just to do maintenance and a little bit of reshaping of the face. The shift in her brow could also be down to the use of Botox.’
Kendall Jenner has previously denied rumors she underwent any plastic surgery.
In January 2017 she returned to Instagram after her absence sparked rumors of a nose job, and said: ‘As a model, why would I hvae my face reconstructed? It doesn’t even make sense.’
She added in 2014 to Extra amid further nose job rumors: ‘Come on now, people… Make-up does wonders.
Blake Lively: ‘I am suspicious she is doing fillers’
Blake Lively, now 36 and of Gossip Girl fame, also appears to have had some touch-ups done. Dr Motykie said she likely had surgery on her upper eyelids, filler put into her cheeks and lips, a nose job and veneers for her teeth
The 36-year-old Gossip Girl star has also had some work on her appearance. according to Dr Motykie.
‘When you get to the mid-30s range, that’s when people start to lose a bit of the fat from their baby faces, so people start to say: “Oh, they’re changing”, and then they think, “Oh, let me add a little bit of filler”.
‘So, I am suspicious that she is doing some fillers, you know, to combat the baby fat going away.
‘But it could also be the upper eyelid or blepharoplasty, as well, [changing her appearance] because her eyes are slightly more open than when she was younger.’
A blepharoplasty, or ‘eyelid surgery’, involves removing excess skin or fat deposits from the upper or lower eyelids to alter their appearance. Over time, eyelids can loose their elasticity and start to sag or droop. This procedure can cost from $2,000 to $7,500.
‘There’s no doubt, however, that there are changes in her nose.
‘I would say at least one or two rhinoplasties to change that nose she had which was a little more bulbous to this more narrow, projected nose.
‘And then the same thing with her lips, we see that they fluctuate to a little thinner, and then a little fuller. It is most likely there was some lip filler to maintain their volume.
‘She also has a much brighter smile than before, so I would say she has probably got veneers in at some point.’
Sofia Richie: ‘This is one of the more dramatic alterations’
Sofia Richie Grainge, 25, has also had work done to refine her apperance. She is pictured above in 2014 and again in 2018. Dr Motykie suggested she had had a nose job, filler in her lips and cheeks beneath her eyes and possibly some work to contour her mandible
Sofia Richie has had one of the ‘more dramatic’ alterations, according to Dr Motykie, who was ‘100 percent certain’ she had had work done.
On her nose, he said: ‘Wide bridge, wide tip and a little bit flat initially. But then there’s a nose that’s contoured in the bridge and narrower — and the tip still being a bit bulbous and natural, but also a bit more contoured.
‘This is most likely a rhinoplasty, but it could have been a scar-less rhinoplasty which a lot of celebrities will do which means you can’t tell because there is no scar.
He also suggested she had had filler, saying: ‘The other thing I think she has had done is filler. There’s no doubt her lips are slightly more plump than before.
‘And then I noticed her mid face underneath her eyes, even when she’s younger she is showing a bit of hollowing out there. But now we see her cheeks and her face are more heart-shaped.
‘That usually means filler underneath the eyes or in the middle of the face which changes her heavy masculine face into a bit more of a heart-shaped female face.
‘She also maybe did some mandibular work or mandible contouring with Botox to shrink her lower face and decrease its width and make it more soft and feminine.’
Ms Grainge has not previously commented on surgery rumors, but in 2020 she did share a photo with plastic surgeon Jason Diamond with the caption: ‘Thank you for always taking care of me.’
David Beckham: ‘Hair transplant’
The soccer legend, 48, has also had some work done, according to Dr Motykie. This includes a hair transplant and fillers into his brow to help obscure lines. He is pictured left in 2018 and right in 2022
‘He’s done nothing similar to the other male celebrities, right?,’ Dr Motykie said jokingly.
‘He was showing signs of thinning and that male pattern baldness in the crown across the entire top of his head, but now he has a nice, fuller, head of hair.
‘I think he’s probably started with some injections and then I do think he probably converted to a hair transplant, that’s a good way to do it.
‘You do the injections first because it will stimulate any growth naturally which means if you then go for the transplant you’ll need less grafts, less surgery and less cost.
‘You can see he also had a lot of lines on his forehead, which made him look a little grumpy and stern-looking, but then he goes to a much softer, younger and less wrinkled look.
‘That’s the power of Botox if done well. It’ll soften the area and take out some of those deep creases and wrinkles.’
David Beckham has not confirmed having plastic surgery but his wife, Victoria, has previously revealed she regretted getting a boob job. The operation was to enlarge her breasts, but Victoria now says she wishes she hadn’t ‘messed with them’.
Bad Bunny: ‘We see a really dramatic difference’
The 29-year-old reggaeton singer from Puerto Rico has undergone a major transformation in his appearance. Bad Bunny is pictured above in 2018 and within the last year. Dr Motykie believes he had received filler to make his jawline more pronounced and masculine and possibly also had a chin implant
‘We see a really dramatic difference with Bad Bunny.
‘What is most dramatic is his jawline. It went from a little bit pouty and not distinct to a very defined and strong masculine jawline. Those things don’t typically happen on their own.
‘One thing that would achieve this would be jawline filler, particularly to the angle of the mandible and then along the jawline to strengthen it.
‘He also possibly had some Kybella [an injection to destroy fat cells] or neck liposuction to contour his jawline under his chin.
‘I’m also slightly suspicious for a chin implant. And the reason I saw that is if you looked at his front view, he changed to a strong masculine expression and that’s one of the effects of a chin implant. It also changes the expression of the lower face.
‘And then lastly he grew facial hair to really add to and accentuate the definition of the jawline so a combination of all those things.’
Fillers for the jawline cost between $600 to $800 per syringe, although some brands range up to $1,200. It was not clear how many Bad Bunny may have used.
Machine Gun Kelly: ‘All of a sudden, there is a full head of hair’
Like Prince Harry, the 33-year-old singer also appears to have had work to sort out his receding hairline. This was likely a hair transplant, said Dr Motykie
Dr Motykie pointed out that like Prince Harry and David Beckham, Machine Gun Kelly also suffered from a thinning hairline.
To resolve this, Dr Motykie believes he also opted for a hair transplant from another area of his body — likely the back of his head.
‘We see male pattern baldness that is a little more severe when he’s younger,’ the surgeon said.
‘And then, all of a sudden, there is a full head of hair. That’s definitely not spray on, that looks like a transplant.
‘There were some photos that surfaced showing that he may have done a slightly older technique, where he had a scar on the back of his head. I’ve seen photos where you can see that scar similar to that with Elon Musk.
‘But he’s also probably done one of the newer techniques too, like follicular unit transplant, for his hair line.’
A follicular unit transplant involves removing strips of hair from the back or sides of the head and transplanting it onto areas where hair is thinning or has been lost. Hair transplants cost $10,000 on average.
Anne Hathaway: ‘I have no doubt she had a “nose job”‘
The 40-year-old Les Miserables actress appears to have had surgery on her nose, said Dr Motykie
‘I have no doubt she had surgery on her nose,’ Dr Motykie said.
‘You see it go from a slightly more plunging bulbous tip with a wide bridge to having a much more defined contour and thinner bridge and thinner tip and more tip projection. That’s the leading sign of having a rhinoplasty.
‘We also see that natural sign of thinning and baby fat going away on her face, but it does appear to be more maintained.
‘So, again, I am suspicious of things like fillers, Botox, maintenance with micro-needling and skin tightening, things to just maintain the skin.
‘I also noticed her jawline is a bit narrower, again that could be the normal loss of boday fat or it could be some slight contouring to the jawline to bring in that lower face with things like Botox to narrow that lower part of the face.’
Anne Hathaway has previously confirmed she had plastic surgery. She said: ‘I wanted a nose job, but now, my nose is what lets me change my face a lot — I can be glamorous as Agent 99 [in Get Smart], then look rough as a drug addict for [director] Jonathan Demme [in Rachel Getting Married].
‘Your face needs to have character if you’re an actor — otherwise you’re just a face.’
She fought off speculation that she had buccal fat removal to make her face thinner in January 2023. A nose job can cost between $9,000 to $20,000.
Emily Blunt: ‘I’m suspicious she’s done some fillers’
Emily Blunt has had fillers, said Dr Motykie, to make her face have a more female heart shape. She is pictured above in 2020 and 2023
‘We see in the second image that her face is a little more wider, more heart-shaped and slightly more contoured.
‘So I’m suspicious that she’s done some fillers up into the under eyes, mid-face area and cheeks to give that width and heart shape.
‘Her lips, again, are plumper, so she’s probably had some volume added there through filler as well.
‘Having more upper face volume than lower face volume is much more useful and more attractive, without overdoing it where things get out of proportion.
‘I’m not suspicious of any other procedures because it looks like what she’s done is add more volume to the upper face that leads to decreasing width as you get to the lower face.’
