7 Celebrities Who Got Candid About Their Post-Procedure Recovery and Results

From swelling to scars, these stars didn’t hide the healing process.

By Taryn Brooke

Jun 30, 2026

Marc Jacobs (left) in bandages post-facelift; Kathy Wilke (right) in bandages post-facelift — Instagram / @themarcjacobs (left); @kathywakile (right)

In recent years, celebrities have slowly but surely started pulling back the curtain on their surgical journeys. Instead of emerging months later with a refreshed look and no explanation, more stars are choosing to share the full story, from the decision to have surgery to what plastic surgery recovery can actually involve: swelling, scars, drains, bandages and the emotional healing that can come with it.

Of course, no one owes the public a detailed account of their medical choices. But when celebrities do choose to be transparent, it can help demystify what plastic surgery recovery actually looks like beyond the polished after photos. From facelifts and neck lifts to eyelid surgery and browlifts, these stars gave fans a closer look at the process, whether by documenting their recovery in real time or sharing candid before-and-afters.

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Marc Jacobs

Jacobs was one of the earlier celebrities to embrace cosmetic-surgery transparency on social media. In 2021, the fashion designer underwent an extended deep-plane facelift with New York facial plastic surgeon Andrew Jacono, MD, and documented his recovery on Instagram.

At a time when many public figures were still quiet about plastic surgery, Jacobs shared updates on his healing process, including his use of hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments to help reduce swelling and support recovery. His openness helped make the conversation around plastic surgery feel a little less taboo.

SEE JACOBS’ POST-PROCEDURE INSTAGRAM POST HERE

Marc Jacobs attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York City

Getty Images / Julian Hamilton

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Kathy Wakile

In June 2026, the Real Housewives of New Jersey alum shared that she had undergone a neck and lower facelift, brow lift and lower blepharoplasty. “This isn’t about changing the face I’ve known and loved for 60 years,” Wakile wrote on Instagram. “It’s simply about restoring and refreshing what time has naturally changed.”

Just hours after surgery, she filmed herself at home in a compression bandage, with surgical drains, marker lines, swelling and bruising visible. Wakile said she chose to share the process openly for anyone curious about what recovery can really look like.

WATCH WILKE’S VIDEO HERE

Getty Images / Lars Niki

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Denise Richards

In June 2025, Richards underwent a facelift with Beverly Hills, CA facial plastic surgeon Ben Talei, MD. After sharing striking before-and-after photos, she spoke candidly with Allure about her decision to have plastic surgery and what the recovery process was really like.

In addition to a facelift, Richards said she also had an upper blepharoplasty, a temporal brow lift and the outer corners of her mouth lifted. Her transparency around the healing process, from incisions and drains to swelling, offered a candid look at the realities of facelift recovery.

SEE DR. TALEI’S BEFORE-AND-AFTER POST

Getty Images / Michael Tullberg

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Rosie O’Donnell

O’Donnell had long been outspoken about not wanting a facelift, but after losing 50 pounds, she reconsidered. In May, the 64-year-old shared in a Substack post titled “Decisions” that she had undergone the procedure.

“In January, I did it,” she wrote, adding that she found “a doctor I trusted—who had worked on friends of mine who all still look like themselves.” O’Donnell later posted before-and-after photos on Instagram.

SEE O’DONNELL’S BEFORE-AND-AFTER PHOTOS HERE

Rosie O'Donnell arrives in Australia ahead of her "Common Knowledge" show at the Sydney Opera House on October 06, 2025 in Sydney, Australia.

Getty Images / Brendon Thorne

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Ricki Lake

Following a 40-pound weight loss, Lake made the decision to undergo a face and neck lift. She shared her journey and results on Instagram to mark the one-year anniversary of her surgery and explain why she ultimately decided to go under the knife.

“I had lost 40 lbs and did not like the extra skin that hung from below my chin,” she wrote. “It was never going to tighten up on its own. Not at 55. Trust me, when I tell you, I still felt extra cute and loved myself regardless, especially after working so hard to get in the best shape of my life. This procedure was the icing on the cake. One year later, I look back on my brave choice and consider it one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.”

SEE LAKE’S INSTAGRAM POST HERE

Raymond Hall / GC Images

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Catt Sadler

Several years ago, the former E! News host told Glamour that she had undergone a facelift, neck lift and eye lift at 48. Sadler, who has long shared parts of her life publicly, opened up about the changes that can come with aging and why, after trying nonsurgical treatments, she decided to move forward with surgery.

Afterward, she said she felt younger, happier and relieved, and explained that her decision to speak openly came from a desire to help inform women about the realities of facelift recovery. “I’m not personally judging anyone who keeps these things private, but…I did not want to do that,” she said. “Why not be transparent? Why not inform women about what it can be like?”

SEE SADLER’S FACELIFT BEFORE-AND AFTER HERE

Getty Images / Greg Doherty

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Keltie Knight

In an essay for Glamour, Knight opened up about her facelift and how much more difficult the recovery was than she expected. The TV host was candid about the pressure of being on camera, how she felt about her appearance and why she ultimately chose surgery.

Knight wrote that her neck had bothered her for nearly a decade after she noticed what she called “a little wattle” under her chin. After trying nonsurgical options without the results she wanted, she underwent a minimally invasive neck lift in 2017 after being told she was still “too young for a facelift.”

By 41, after seeing her neck loosen again, she decided to move forward with the procedure. Though she kept her facelift private for years, her essay gave readers an honest look at what she went through and why, in the end, she said it helped her feel freer.