Madonna‘s Quest to Turn Back Time: My Expert Analysis as a Cosmetic Surgeon
As one of the most famous and enduring music icons in history, Madonna has captivated audiences for over three decades with her chart-topping songs, envelope-pushing music videos, sold-out world tours, and undeniable stage presence.
However, almost as much attention has been paid to her ever-evolving appearance – at 62 years old, Madonna still exudes a youthful glow that seems to defy the natural aging process. So how has she managed to keep looking so young after all these years under the glaring spotlight?
In this article, I‘ll analyze and react to Madonna‘s cosmetic procedures over the years, based on my two decades of experience as a celebrity plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. Keep reading for an inside look at the cosmetic secrets behind her age-reversing magic tricks.
Madonna‘s Natural Beauty in Her Youth
When Madonna first erupted onto the music scene in the early 1980s with hits like "Holiday" and "Lucky Star", she was admired for her unique style and beauty. With her sharp facial features, porcelain skin, mauve lipstick pout, and "Beauty mark" mole, she crafted an iconic and glamorous signature look all her own.
In her twenties, Madonna‘s face displayed hallmarks of conventional attractiveness – an oval facial shape, balanced thirds, strong bone structure, large wide-set eyes, and most notably, a fuller lower lip paired with a distinctive cupid‘s bow top lip shape. This was considered an aesthetically pleasing, sensual look at the time.
As she continued churning out chart-topping albums and pushing boundaries with steamy music videos in the 80s, she cemented her status as the decade‘s ultimate pop culture and beauty icon.
Early Signs of Facial Aging
However, the first subtle signs of facial aging began showing up on Madonna‘s face in her late twenties. As we get older, changes like tissue and muscle laxity, loss of facial volume, and bone resorption occur naturally due to gravity, genetics, and lifestyle factors.
By 1986 at the age of 28, shadows of nasolabial folds between Madonna‘s nose and mouth became more visible. Her lower face also started appearing slightly thinner and less full compared to a few years prior.
This gradual descent of facial tissues and early atrophy giving rise to folds and wrinkles is common in one‘s late twenties and early thirties. But for someone in the public eye like Madonna who built a career on always pushing boundaries, putting off nature‘s effects was likely a top priority early on.
The First Suspected Facelift
Madonna attended the Oscars in 1991 at the age of 33, showcasing a noticeably tightened jawline and higher cheekbones. Compared to photos from 1987 and 1990, her midface looked plumper and more youthful, while her lower face appeared lifted.
This noticeable change in facial contour and anatomy can potentially be explained by a first facelift procedure, which involves surgically lifting and tightening sagging skin, muscles, and tissues. As we age past 30, retaining youthful facial fullness and structure against gravity‘s pull requires intervention for most.
The lifespan of a facelift is roughly 10 years as the aging process continues marching on. So it‘s likely Madonna turned to additional secret youth-preserving weapons in her cosmetic arsenal as the 90s continued.
Ongoing Transformation Over the Decades
By 2000 at 42 years old, Madonna arrived at the Grammy Awards looking refreshed. The area under her eyes appeared brighter and tightened, likely from a blepharoplasty procedure (eyelid surgery). Her cheekbones also seemed more accentuated and robust – suggesting possible cheek or midface implants.
However, as the mid-2000s hit and Madonna entered her late 40s, signs of volume loss and bone resorption reappeared. Hollowness under her eyes and cheeks gave her face a sallow, gaunt look for a few years, giving away her age despite dyeing her hair blonde.
Likely realizing her fading looks could tarnish her youthful brand and career longevity, Madonna once again turned to cosmetic procedures to restore her signature plump, sculpted facial contours.
By 2008 at 50 years old, she looked reinvigorated with cat-like eyes, full cheeks, and a smooth jawline – hallmarks of an excellent facelift, likely her second of a series over the decades. Non-surgical skin treatments like laser resurfacing may have also contributed to her glowing, wrinkle-free complexion.
Madonna leaned heavily on dermal fillers and more surgery as the 2010s hit and she entered her 60s, seeking to preserve her status as a glamorous icon. This led to an overly filled appearance in the mid-face and deeper nasolabial folds that began looking too unnatural, severe and distorted.
An Inside Look at Madonna‘s Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatments
It‘s clear Madonna was an early adopter of many popular celebrity plastic surgery procedures starting from her mid-thirties. Along with multiple facelifts and likely another one in her early 60s, my expert estimation is Madonna has had:
-
Multiple eyelid surgeries (blepharoplasty)
-
At least 2 brow lifts
-
Possible neck lift
-
Buccal fat removal in cheeks
-
Multiple rounds of dermal filler injections:
-
Cheeks
-
Lips
-
Nasolabial folds
-
-
Abundant Botox injections
-
Possible laser skin resurfacing
I also would not rule out possible jawline or chin contouring with implants or fillers. The extensive volumization over time has added too much weight on her lower face causing unnatural aging.
There were also attempts made to correct a drooping left eyelid, possibly from a minor defect at birth, previous injury, or complication of surgery.
Overall, Madonna has spent what I estimate to be around $215,000 in surgical and nonsurgical procedures over 30+ years trying to maintain a preserved, glowy, and youthful mien.
While I give her surgical team excellent marks for the work itself, based on some recent appearances, I would advise Madonna personally that less is often more when it comes to cosmetic treatments. Ensuring facial features don‘t become overly distorted is an art that the best surgeons understand.
Weighing in on Controversial Joker Lines
One controversy that has come up regarding Madonna‘s facelifts is the appearance of so-called "joker lines" when she smiles – prominent creases running from the sides of the nose to the corners of the lips.
This happens when an overly tightened SMAS facelift (Which stands for superficial muscular aponeurotic system) over-pulls on the facial muscles, limiting mobility. Trying to combat drooping tissues against gravity can sometimes result in these strained appearances.
As cosmetic experts, we constantly grapple to find the right balance between long-lasting lifts and reductions that still leave some softness and natural movement. In my view, Madonna‘s surgeons went slightly too tight and low beyond her mouth which caused the joker lines upon animation.
I also noticed a bit of excessive skin irregularity under the chin in some recent photos. The neck shows evidence of skin banding and some redundancy or loose areas – signs that matching facelifts with simultaneous neck contouring is critical.
Nonetheless, the outstanding overall volume restoration, smoothness, and glow to the face that Madonna has somehow maintained for this long remains admirable. Though I cannot recommend pursuing quite this duration or intensity of treatments for the average woman in her 60‘s wishing to look 35 again.
The Takeaway: What Madonna‘s Story Reveals About the Powerful Anti-Aging Industry
The extraordinary lengths Madonna has undertaken to curtail and obscure signs of facial aging while staying in the public limelight highlight the immense pressures facing celebrities today.
In many ways she has pioneered the prevalent culture of celebrities turning to cosmetic procedures to maximize career longevity. She represents the ever-growing societal obsession to conceal natural maturity that permeates Hollywood and beyond.
No one can deny Madonna‘s epic career would have likely abbreviated years ago had she just "aged gracefully". Her determination to keep churning out new albums and touring stadiums well into her 60s is predicated on sustaining her supernova stardom – which is inevitably intertwined with appearance.
If anything, Madonna serves as a parable illuminating the incredible time, money, discomfort, and energy required to try turning back the inevitable hands of time.
Her lifelong quest to hold onto vestiges of youth at all costs embodies the aspirational – yet unrealistic – fantasy that the anti-aging cosmetic surgery industry profits from immensely today.
For most of my clients, I advocate a less invasive, "maintenance before repair" approach with minor procedures starting earlier to enable aging subtly and smoothly decades later. Though the fire still burning in Madonna‘s eyes to command global audiences hints she has no plans of following anyone‘s rules but her own.
Regardless of controversies, Madonna‘s irrepressible ambition and creative output at an age when most entertainers recede from the forefront has indubitably left an indelible impact on music, womanhood, and celebrity for generations of fans.
I don‘t anticipate a retirement tour from Madonna anytime soon. At the end of the day, her unwavering drive and towering presence on the world stage demands respect. And if regular facelifts, fillers, and an immaculate fitness regime give her the perpetual confidence to keep churning out mind-blowing live shows and lyrics that push buttons, then who am I to judge?
In fact, I look forward to witnessing how her latest musical reinventions will continue impacting global culture, as well as what the next decades may bring for her aesthetic evolution. If any celebrity has earned the right to write her own rules of aging while keeping us guessing, it is undoubtedly the eternal chameleon Madonna.