When Mean Girls star Lindsay Lohan returned to the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, style commentators called it “an iconic comeback.”
The 38-year-old actress appeared at the Balenciaga show in a black sequin dress, a leather jacket and a ponytail – but what surprised fans most was her face.
Some suggested that the troubled star’s new-found sobriety was the reason behind the refreshed and rejuvenated look.
Lohan, who gave birth to her first child, a son named Luai, in July last year, is sober after stints in and out of rehab and multiple run-ins with the law.
Others suspected that there had been help for the surgeon’s scalpel: ‘These pictures don’t even look like her. She’s beautiful, but this isn’t her face,” one fan joked on Reddit.
Lindsay Lohan,38, Balenciaga Paris Womenswear spring-summer collection 2025 at the end of last month
Fans noticed that the star’s face is more defined than her previous public appearances
Her miraculous transformation has sparked controversy online as fans debate how she now looks so much younger.
Fans speculated that perhaps it was her sobriety that caused her transformation after years in rehab and legal troubles.
Now, cosmetic treatment expert Dr. Johnny Betteridge has weighed in on the drastic work she likely did in a viral video on TikTok.
The Botox and filler guru, based in Britain, explained how she had previously suffered from poorly performed injectables.
“Look at her face from over a decade ago, we can see signs of overfilling. Mainly in the cheeks and lips, and notice how her nose is wider and less defined,” says Dr. Betteridge.
Dr. Betteridge said the transformation is clearly the result of further processes and may be aided by weight loss
Recent photos posted to her social media show that the swelling is gone and her facial features are better defined
Lindsay Lohan (on the left) shows off her transformation compared to the swelling from botched procedures on the right.
‘A few years later, she has the characteristic features of overfilling, with her face appearing swollen and having a uniform appearance.’
Dr. Betteridge then explained how she completely changed her appearance.
“This is what good surgical and non-surgical work looks like,” says the TikTok doctor.
“A lot could have gone into this look. “There would be some degree of weight loss if the fillers were dissolved and then applied more precisely, probably in the center of the face, cheeks and lips,” he explains.
Her defined characteristics, according to Dr. Betteridge a clear sign of cosmetic surgery
“From a surgical perspective, it appears that she has undergone upper eyelid surgery,” a procedure that reconstructs the upper eyelid.
The doctor says you can tell because “her eyes are more open and there is less sagging skin in this area.” Her nose is much sharper and more defined than with a rhinoplasty.’
Even though more work has been done, he says that “her face looks more natural than it did a few years ago.”
The clip, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times, has divided fans. ‘God, she looks amazing!!!! So happy for her,” said one.
Others were less impressed. “I’m glad she’s happy and healthy, but a lot of surgeries don’t age like fine wine,” a Reddit user commented on another photo of the star’s transformation.
The former child star burst onto the scene in 1998 with the Hollywood film Parent Trap
The actress in 2011 for her film Gotti Three Generations
Her big break came in 2004 with Mean Girls
Cosmetic surgeon Matthew Schulman also told Forbes magazine that Lohan’s changed appearance was clearly the result of some cosmetic procedures.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that Lindsay has had some things done. It is clear that she has had lip augmentation.
“Her skin looks much smoother and lighter, so maybe some Botox and fillers in her cheeks will make her cheeks look fuller,” says Shulman.
The transformation comes as she prepares to return to the screen Freak Friday sequel, Freakier Friday, which will be released in theaters next year.
In an interview with Allure, the former child star said she finds it funny that people think she’s aging in reverse.
Ignoring the suggestion that she had any work done, she said: ‘I just take care of my skin.’