Gwen Stefani's Face Transformation, Broken Down By Our Plastic Surgeon
We're taking notice of Gwen Stefani's style evolution, and one thing that's impossible to ignore is her face. Longtime fans of the "Hollaback Girl" singer can tell that something's changed. Her nose looks noticeably slimmer, her cheekbones appear to be higher, and her jawline seems more sculpted than in her No Doubt days. The internet has definitely noticed it. "WTF is happening to Gwen Stefani? Is she hanging out with Madonna? [...] This looks like surgery," one X user wrote in 2023. Comparing Stefani's glow-up to Madonna's face transformation and obvious plastic surgery might be a tad bit dramatic, but it does make you wonder: Just how much work has the "Just A Girl" crooner had?
To get an expert opinion, Glam spoke exclusively to Dr. Samuel Golpanian, a double board-certified plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills, and his analysis breaks each tweak down. For starters, Dr. Golpanian is certain that Stefani's nose has changed. "I definitely think she got a rhinoplasty," he says. "The dorsal aesthetic lines, which are basically the vertical shadows on each side of the nose, were wider before and are more narrow now."
Beyond the nose, the award-winning surgeon points out that her once-pronounced chin dimple now appears less exaggerated, possibly softened with filler. Her jawline also looks more defined, which could be the result of chin and jawline liposuction, fillers, or a combination of both. And then there's the brows. "I do think she got a lateral brow lift," he explains. "It elevates the outer part of the eyebrow, giving it more of a 'fox eye' kind of look." However, there's one social media take that Dr. Golpanian doesn't agree with: the idea that Stefani looked better back in the day. "I think she looks better now than she did when she was younger," he tells us.
Did Gwen Stefani have buccal fat removal? Our plastic surgeon weighs in
Buccal fat removal surgery is easily one of the most popular celebrity trends of the 2020s. If you're unfamiliar, it involves removing fat from the lower cheeks to create a more sculpted, contoured face. When we compare Gwen Stefani's face from the 1990s to now, it's clear her cheeks have lost a lot of volume. But is that due to aging, which naturally reduces facial fat, or a little surgical help? Dr. Golpanian thinks she might have had some buccal fat removal, but stops short of saying it with certainty. He is, however, certain that aging looks good on Stefani: "Some people look better as they age because they lose facial fat, which can actually add more definition to areas like the jaw and cheekbones. She's one of those people."
Still, Dr. Golpanian believes Gwen could benefit from one slice of advice he gives all his patients: Stay consistent. "We're not immortal, and at some point, no procedure is going to make us look good forever," he points out. "But as long as she maintains a healthy lifestyle — good food, good exercise — along with Botox, fillers, and good skincare, she can continue to look great for a long time."