October 20, 2026 | Facelift, Facial Rejuvenation, Plastic Surgery News
A 2012 photo next to a 2026 photo, a new hair color, and the internet decided: facelift. Nobody asked a surgeon. I have never examined Kristen Wiig, so what follows is opinion from photographs, not a diagnosis. But the checklist is the one I use in every consult, and it is worth showing.
I compared her photos from March of this year against the latest.
Landmark One: Skin
“Looking at the photos from a few months ago compared to the latest, I think the major changes are mostly in the skin quality. In her photos in March, she appears to have a lot of sun damage and hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles in the forehead, crow’s feet, even the glabella, and small lines and wrinkles in the laugh lines. Three months ago, she had good jaw definition.”
Skin changes are not surgery. Lasers, radiofrequency and Botox change skin.
Landmarks Two Through Five: Brow, Eyelid, Cheek, Jaw
“If you compare the two time frames and look at the brows, they sit in the same position. They have not been lifted. The excess upper eyelid skin remains. The volume of the cheeks is still in the same place, and the jawline is still sharp.”
A facelift repositions the cheek and resets the jawline. A brow lift raises the brow. An eyelid lift removes the hooded skin. Four landmarks, none moved.
| Landmark | What surgery does to it | What the photos show |
|---|---|---|
| Brow | Brow lift raises it | Same position |
| Upper eyelid | Blepharoplasty removes excess skin | Excess skin remains |
| Cheek volume | Facelift repositions it upward | Same place |
| Jawline | Facelift sharpens it | Still sharp, before and after |
| Neck bands | Neck lift repairs them | Still visible |
Landmark Six: The Neck
“You can see that she has platysmal banding, that is, the two lines in the neck that look separated, so that goes against her having a neck lift, because this is usually repaired at the same time.”
In my neck lifts those two bands get sewn together in the middle. They are still apart here.
Then What Changed?
“If you look at other photos around the March timeline, it almost seems like she had lost too much weight, and that may have helped make her appear older. In the latest photos, it seems like she gained some of that weight back, which of course fills the face and makes it look younger. Of course, this can also be achieved with fillers.”
Weight does to a face what filler does, for free. More on that in my face after weight loss post.
“I do think she has lip fillers and has probably undergone facial skin tightening with radiofrequency and skin resurfacing with laser. Botox has probably helped to soften those fine lines and wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes, but you can still see the same types of wrinkles when she smiles, in the smile lines.”
Probably. Office work: Morpheus8 or a similar radiofrequency device, laser resurfacing, Botox, lip filler. None of it needs an operating room.
The Part Nobody Checks
“I think the most shocking thing in her most recent photos is that if you look at her hands, they really give away her true age and are definitely a mismatch with the way her face looks.”
Hands tell on a face every time.
What This Means for You
If you are weighing a facelift, the same checklist applies to your own mirror. Skin that has lost quality wants resurfacing and tightening. Brows, eyelids, cheeks and jawline that have moved want surgery. Neck bands want a neck lift. A consult sorts your face into those columns; the numbers are in my facelift cost post.
The full read, with the comment-section side by side, is on drworldwide.com. The office-treatment version is on the Southwest Plastic Surgery post.
Why Choose Dr. Agullo
Dr. Agullo is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, completed his plastic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years, 2014 through 2026. He trained in the deep plane and ponytail facelift techniques at the Ponytail Academy courses in Pittsburgh and Santa Monica.
Ready to Talk?
Bring the photo you are worried about. I will tell you which column it belongs in.
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book online at agulloplasticsurgery.com. #StayBeautiful
Find me at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
