Ellen Barkin Plastic Surgery

American actress Ellen Barkin, 58, is rumored to have had plastic surgery (facelift, botox, eyelid surgery and chemical peels) to maintain her youthful look.
At the NBC UpFronts in New York City in 2012, Barkin seemed refreshed with the help of plastic surgery. While many older actresses go over the top, "She looks better than she used to," celebrity plastic surgeon, Dr. Anthony Youn, told celebrity website RadarOnline.com.

"I suspect that she's had a facelift, causing her face to look tight and a bit pulled. Her face appears terribly tight nowadays, as if she's in a wind tunnel but if it was done recently, I suspect that she will look more and more natural with time."

It has to be noted that Barkin opened up about the aging process and her secrets to looking fabulous at over 50 to Oprah.com five years ago, when she revealed that she wasn't a fan of Botox.

"I don't like the way it makes people look. Too many people go overboard, and for an actress, that's deadly. It keeps you from being able to have expressions," Barkin was quoted as saying.

Barkin stated that her dream was to get: "Just a tighter version of my face."

While Barkin appears to have softened her attitude about plastic surgery and attained her dream of tightness, Dr. Youn still considers she is opting for other less restrictive injectables over botox.

"She appears to have had filler injections to some of the wrinkles of her face, causing her to look smooth," Dr. Youn claimed.


It is well known that Barkin opposed to Botox and invasive plastic surgery, but it is evident that she is a fan of of injected fillers and high-tech skin care.

When Barkin meets women with facelifts, she states: "You look at them and think either they look crazy or awful. For some of them, I will say: "Oh, wow! That looks like a beautiful woman (but) it just doesn't look like the same beautiful woman." "

"I think facelifts make you look older, not younger," Barkin adds.

Barkin is so much against facelifts that she can't even stand to watch movies starring actresses who got facelifts. "I don't want to see someone I've watched in movies for 20 years and not know who they are, with their eyebrows somewhere in the middle of their hairline. If I see someone on screen whose face can't move to express emotion, then I'm no longer interested in watching them act."


On the other hand, Barkin honestly admitted that she once tried Botox, but it didn't like at all how to affect her, and dislikes the changes it makes in people who use it.

"I don't like the way it makes people look," Barkin was quoted as saying. "Too many people go overboard, and for an actress, that's deadly. It keeps you from being able to have expressions. Some actresses who used to have a beautiful smile have this weird kind of oval thing they do with their mouths instead. They can't frown anymore, either. They look like they've lost their minds".


"The whole Botox craze, what it says to me is: "I am desperately unhappy with where I am in my life's journey, I don't like it, I want to disguise it, I want to erase it,"" Barkin continued. "Like: "I'm not comfortable being 30, 40, 50, 60." And I have issues with that." 

The question is: "What Ellen Barkin does in order to maintain a youthful appearance?"

Barkin reveals that her skin-care routines include Fraxel fractional laser sessions, Thermage radio-frequency treatments and low-tech facial peels. 


 It has to be mentioned though that according to medical experts, each one of those skin-rejuvenation methods that Barkin uses are doing controlled damage to the skin, because they are forcing it to grow new, younger cells.



It is clear that Barkin has mixed feelings about plastic surgery. While Barkin considers plastic surgery a dangerous trend for society, she still regularly treats herself to some plastic procedures such as Thermage and Fraxel.

 Ellen Barkin feels that women who go under the plastic surgeon's knife are sending out a destructive message to society that they are not mentally and physically happy with where they are in their lives.

"I think it's dangerous. Women who have had major surgery are sending out the signal saying: "I'm not happy with where I am, so I want to be somewhere else - I want to be like I was at 30"," Barkin revealed to First Magazine.

Barkin admits that in Hollywood the pressure is too high for celebrities to remain forever young, but she has completely come to terms with her flaws and hopes that she won't fall prey to the pressure of having plastic surgery to expand her acting career.





"All of a sudden attention is drawn to: "Oh you need a facelift." I hope that I don't buckle under it," Barkin explains.

The question is: "What plastic surgeons beleive about Ellen Barkin's plastic surgery?"





Well, plastic surgeons are confused by Ellen Barkin's plastic surgery. While some surgeons beleive her claims, others are skeptical that she is completely honest...


Plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow of Newport Beach states: "I believe her completely. She still has excess upper and lower eyelid skin and laxity of skin in the neck. I think she looks amazing and I commend her for deciding not to have major facelift and eyelid surgery if she chooses not to. Plastic surgery is not a one size fits all undertaking."

Dermatologist Dr. Vince Afsahi of Tustin and Newport Beach explains: "Ellen looks good for 58. And this does not happen by chance. Radiofrequency devices can help tighten the areas of her neck while fractional lasers can help with pigmentation and smoothness of the skin. Moreover, her laugh lines look softened and her lips are plumper and full - likely from fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane."

Plastic surgeon and blogger Dr. Tony Youn of Michigan is quoted as saying: "Ellen looks fantastic, and is a great example of conservative cosmetic work done right. It appears that she's had her lips enhanced, likely with Juvederm, and some injectable fillers to her deep wrinkles. Her skin is smooth and wrinkle-free as a wax statue. If only all of us had the money to have all of these maintenance treatments, then all of our patients would look this good."

Plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Persky of Encino notices signs of the long-term filler Sculptra: "Ms. Barkin has excellent facial volume in the proper proportions, leading me to believe that she has an excellent Sculptra injector."

"She has had fillers to her lips and probably a facelift between 2004 and 2007," plastic surgeon Dr. Edward Domanskis of Newport Beach tells. Dermatologic surgeon Dr. David Sire of Fullerton agrees, as does plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia.

"I would counsel her to continue with her maintenance Thermage treatments," Domanskis advises. He also suggests that she might want to use filler in the folds between her nose and the corners of her mouth.


Barkin has stated that she regurlarly gets a skin-rejuvenating chemical Laser A-Peel and used to rub Retin-A on her face but convinced from a "facialist" who was against acidic products.

Dr. Christopher Zachary, chairman of the UCI Department of Dermatology, claims that Barkin is obviously confused, but he understands it. "Sometimes, the mumbo jumbo is just too confusing...so let me get this right...she has stopped "acid peels" on advice from her "facialist," and yet she is still using the "Laser a-peel"...which is, of course, an acid peel! I really feel for her and all the other beautiful people who are trying to understand the jargon dished up in expensive packages at the beauty stores. Sometimes, I think one needs a Ph.D. to get a hang of all the hype".

"In her defense, there is no doubt that long term retinoids (like Retin-A), peels, radiofrequency (Thermage), and the newer fractionated devices (Fraxel, etc.) can really make a difference, and possibly put off the need for more invasive procedures like facelifts," Dr. Zachary continues.

 Zachary adds: "Botox (or Dysport) and fillers go hand-in-hand ...to avoid one while engaging in the other is a bit like eating apple pie without cheese (it's like a kiss without a squeeze)."

Plastic surgeon Dr. Marcel Daniels of Long Beach absotely agrees, claiming: "Her opposition to Botox is unfortunate, as it would help her crow's feet. Her facialist's opinion on Retin-A is not supported by science as many studies have shown its beneficial effects on skin with regards to skin elasticity, collagen formation, and the deposition of pigment."


Di Saia goes even further: "She looks like she has had a good deal of skin care and her skin looks pretty good from what I can see. As I recall in years gone by she was a smoker. Considering this her skin looks really great. Sun and cigarettes are skin killers. Despite her comments to the contrary, the Retin A was likely helpful...I would keep her skin care going although Thermage plus peels plus Fraxel is kind of redundant in my opinion. "

The truth is that Barkin can easily be mistaken as a woman in her 30s. No doubt that her face seems absolutely flawless and smooth, which is impossible for a woman at 58. We all know that women at her age have sagging cheeks and a turkey neck. Barkin's cheeks are toned and bit frozen (indication for a facelift).



If you take a close look under her eyes, you will notice that Barkin doesn't have any bags under her eyes, which is a sign of an eyelid plastic surgery. On top of that, to get rid of any wrinkles on her face she apparently had botox, which was likely injected on her forehead.

Conclusion: It is highly possible that she has had some skin treatments such as chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing, dermabrasion or other laser procedures. Additionally, she may have used some injection fillers such as Restylane, fat and collagen injections to plump up some areas and soften some lines on her face.





What do you think? Did Ellen Barkin have plastic surgery?

 Photo credit: WENN


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