Tara Lipinski's Stunning Face Transformation Since Her Olympics Days

Olympic champion in women's singles figure skating, Tara Lipinski has been in the spotlight since the mid '90s. The skater won gold at the Winter Olympics in 1998 in Nagano, Japan, and since then, she's become an athlete who has become a sports commentator, reality star, and beauty icon. Today, Lipinski is in her early 40s, and over the past three decades, it has become clear just how much she has changed.

The former figure skater's face has also been a noticeable part of that change. Lipinski always had beautiful, symmetrical facial features, but in recent years, there has been speculation about whether the star has undergone any plastic surgery or injectables. In particular, it was in the mid-2010s that fans started noticing that the sports commentator looked slightly different. Of course, this can also be attributed to changes in makeup and hairstyle, as both can heavily impact the way one's face looks. Nevertheless, Tara Lipinski remains one of the Olympic figure skaters who looks totally different today.

When her international career kicked off, Tara Lipinski was only in her teens. At the age of 15 in 1998, Lipinski won her Olympic gold, and with that, she instantly became figure skating royalty. At the time, Lipinski was all about simple '90s makeup. When photographed at red carpets, the figure skater was usually rocking natural-toned lip products and a bit of mascara. Her skin was glowy and freckly, suggesting that teen Lipinski wasn't wearing any foundation.

To frame her face, the gold medalist usually rocked some of the most iconic hairstyles of the '90s. Feathery soft bangs and curly hair were a great look on her, but Lipinski also loved lifting her bangs up with some funky butterfly clips. The more she was in the spotlight, the lighter her hair became, and by the end of the '90s, Lipinski was a complete blonde.

The early 2000s brought a significant change in Tara Lipinski's life as the professional figure skater retired from the sport that made her famous. And as Lipinski entered her 20s, she had plenty of career options ahead of her. And as the star was figuring them out, her fashion and beauty choices were embracing the biggest trends of the noughties. In fact, it seemed as if Lipinski had every makeup product you need for a Y2K beauty look.

At the beginning of the decade, Lipinski was all about frosty eyeshadow, a major trend of the era. The star combined it with dewy skin and pink, glossy lips for that ultimate early 2000s look. In the late aughts, the former figure skater entered the second half of her 20s, and she embraced a slightly darker and grungier look. Smoky eyes and messy eyeliner were the name of the game, as she enhanced her now slightly more chiseled features. As Lipinski strutted through her 20s, a subtle loss of facial volume became noticeable, something that is completely normal once we leave our teens. Lipinski also ditched the straight-across bangs for side-swept bangs, which helped elongate her face.

In the early 2010s, Tara Lipinski delved into her broadcasting career, and that meant that she was wearing television makeup quite often. Her looks became bolder, with fake eyelashes, glitter eyeshadows, and bold lips. And by the second half of the decade, speculation on the former figure skater began, as many noticed slight changes in her face. Photos from 2018 show that the Olympic star indeed regained some volume in her mid-face, and that her eyebrows seem more lifted. These effects can be telltale signs of injectables like Botox as well as dermal fillers.

"From looking at the pictures, it appears as if Tara has gotten Botox on the upper face, primarily for crow's feet and on her forehead, and she has had upper eyelid surgery, as well," plastic surgeon Dr. Tal Rounder shared with Life & Style in 2018. "It also looks like she's gotten fillers in her cheekbones and possibly in her upper lip because they look a little fuller, though nothing too obvious," the surgeon said, adding, "Less subtle changes are her nose, which could be attributed to a nose job, and her chin, which could be a result of fillers or an implant."

While Tara Lipinski never opened up about any plastic surgery or injectables, there is no denying that the former figure skater's face looked drastically different in the late 2010s and early 2020s compared to what it looked like in the 2000s. Most notable is the appearance of the so-called pillow face, which can be due to dermal fillers. Lipinski's cheeks and lips looked slightly different in the 2020s compared to before, and those changes don't really happen naturally. But Lipinski was happy to share some of her beauty routine, crediting her fresh look to several different products.

In the early 2020s, Lipinski became a brand ambassador for CeraVe, and she revealed she'd loved their products for years. "I'm big on moisturization. During the winter months, I have to feel hydrated and moisturized and that stems from living in an ice-cold, dark rink for so many years," Lipinski told New Beauty in 2022. "My mom always had CeraVe in the house and I was never afraid to keep using it."

The Olympic gold medalist has acknowledged that television makeup can cause bad skin, and she had been diligent about fighting that. "I'm not on the ice anymore, but I am in front of a camera, so I'm usually loaded with heavy makeup for TV. TV makeup is such a pet peeve of mine!" she shared, adding that a regular skin care routine was a must. "I love taking my facial cleanser with me on the plane — even if it's a little bottle," the former figure skater revealed. "I just bought one of those LYMA home lasers; I like to bring that and a facial mask with me when I travel."

As we enter the second half of the 2020s, Tara Lipinski's face looks youthful and fresh, yet the potential use of injectables is noticeable, especially given the the smoothness of her forehead. The NBC commentator's makeup routine is also perfected to enhance her beauty, with Lipinski usually rocking winged eyeliner and subtle contouring on a flawless base. Speaking of her base, it probably looks flawless due to the star's rigorous skincare routine.

In 2026, Lipinski partnered up with Thayers, and she gushed about their products to Us Weekly. "I've used Thayers before, but for the last couple months, I've been using them strictly, and I am now 100 percent hooked," she admitted. "For me, the dry weather and the skating and being in the cold that [affects] my skin. So I've been loving using their products and their toner." The Olympian praised the brand's Milky Moisturizer, explaining, "I'll use it without makeup, and then I use it before I put on all of my makeup ... Over the years, I've found my staples and what works with my skin."