This and whatever *insert celebrity with youthful looking face here* has had done.” It’s a sentence that has been posted countless times on social media recently. A large swath of women seem to love the “new” face look and would like the same treatment themselves. While some see the result as a successful rejuvenation, others find celebrity transformation a bit too drastic. That said, one thing is certain – people with new faces seem to highlight how much is now possible with modern medicine.

Dr. Caroline Kim, a board-certified plastic and aesthetic surgeon, explains that there’s much more to Lindsay Lohan’s new look than “just” a facelift. “She’s definitely had an eyelid lift, as well as probably Botox and filler treatments,” she says. “In addition, she has certainly had numerous regenerative skin treatments such as radiofrequency needling, laser and retinol treatments.” 

In general, the threshold for aesthetic procedures is dropping. Social media has played a central role here, as more and more people are getting information online. But “the perfect pictures can lead to unrealistic expectations,” says Dr. Kim. “In the US, the number of facelifts has increased by 60 percent since 2017.”

What is particularly striking is that younger people are increasingly choosing to proactively combat the ageing process instead of waiting for it to become visible.

Despite the hype, a facelift is not a miracle cure solution that means you never have to have anything else done again. “That is a common misconception,” says the surgeon. That’s because a contouring doesn’t change the skin’s structure – regular care and aesthetic treatments are needed for that. Procedures such as radiofrequency needling and mesoinjections with polynucleotides or hyaluronic acid, which regenerate the skin and supply it with moisture, and retinol creams that help to improve skin quality, may be required. It’s also important to avoid sun exposure and smoking. “You can achieve a lot with targeted treatments, but you can’t turn back the hands of time completely,” emphasises Dr. Kim.

The contrasting reactions to celebrity new look show how different perceptions of beauty can be. For some, the actress’ new face makes her look young and fresh; for others, she appears too artificial. It seems, as always, facelift or not, beauty continues to be in the eye of the beholder.