How Meg Ryan's Face Has Transformed Over The Years, According To Our Plastic Surgeon

If you blinked during the 2025 Oscars, you might've missed the worst-dressed celebs who wore some serious eyesores. Surprisingly, you might've also missed a major rom-com reunion. Meg Ryan, America's '90s sweetheart, appeared alongside Billy Crystal, her "When Harry Met Sally" co-star, to present the award for best picture. While the nostalgia hit hard, many viewers were too distracted by Ryan's appearance. "What is with the cookie-cutter plastic surgery?" one X user asked. "If they hadn't said this was Meg Ryan, I wouldn't have even recognized her." The internet, harsh as it may be, raised an interesting question: How much of Ryan's transformation is due to natural aging, and how much might be the work of a surgeon?

Since the "Top Gun" actor isn't one of the celebrities who have opened up about their plastic surgery experiences, we turned exclusively to Dr. Samuel Golpanian, an award-winning double-board-certified plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills. Dr. Golpanian walked us through a timeline of Meg Ryan's face and pointed out some telling shifts. "There's a big difference from around 1998 to 2001," he notes. "The skin becomes more lax and there are obviously more fine lines." By the early 2000s when Ryan was in her 40s, Dr. Golpanian points out that her facial tissue had started to droop, with deeper lines between the brows and noticeably thinner lips. The real turning point, though, comes between 2006 and 2011.

Bonnie Schiffman/Getty Images

According to Dr. Golpanian, that's when things likely moved from natural aging into surgical territory. "I think she may have gotten a facelift, maybe even a mini facelift, and possibly a brow lift," he says. If you're wondering what exactly a mini facelift is, it's less intensive than a full facelift and focuses on the lower parts of the face. Dr. Golpanian adds that Ryan's transformation isn't just limited to the lower parts of her face; there are hints of possible tweaks elsewhere, too.

While early-2000s Meg Ryan was still glowing, the signs of natural aging were already creeping in, and her lips were one of the first giveaways. By 2001, you can start to see her upper lip thinning, and even more so by 2006. But fast-forward to 2015, and things had clearly changed. Dr. Samuel Golpanian believes this could have been surgically fixed. "Sometimes it's Juvéderm, sometimes it's Restylane, Belotero — these are all types of synthetic fillers. And sometimes it's fat grafting, which is a surgical procedure," Dr. Golpanian exclusively tells Glam.

Beyond the lips, Ryan's under-eye area also appears softer and more youthful, a change Dr. Golpanian suspects may be thanks to fat placed strategically during earlier surgical procedures. The biggest difference between the internet's musings and Dr. Golpanian's analysis, however, is that he fully supports the actor's decision to get plastic surgery and chalks the internet's roasting up to the lingering stigma that has endured for over 100 years of plastic surgery. "Plastic surgery used to be very taboo," he says. "But it's really just a way to help maintain your youth."

That said, Dr. Golpanian doesn't think Ryan needs more surgery at this point. "I think she looks really good. If you get a good facelift, it can last at least 10 years," he says. Instead, he recommends maintenance through good skincare, laser treatments for skin tightening, and non-surgical options like Botox and fillers to keep things fresh.