Selena Gomez, Before and After

We’ll start with Selena at one of her very first red carpet appearances at the age of 14. It’s safe to assume that the only cosmetic alteration she’d made at this stage was perhaps tweezing her eyebrows to look thinner, and straightening her hair. Other that that, we’re seeing her natural hair colour, her natural nose, her natural lips and her natural teeth. 

It wasn’t so apparent in the first shot, with her face at a slight angle, but now you can see how her nose was wider and more rounded back in the day. Meanwhile, her eyebrows seem to be getting even skinnier, as was the trend at the time. 

And here’s more evidence that Selena probably later underwent a rhinoplasty. Her nose was a little bulbous, and definitely more prominent in comparison with her other features—which, as we know, is not considered acceptable if you want to make it big in Hollywood. Looking at her lips, I do wonder if she might’ve tried fillers already, like Bella Thorne did at the same age (16!).

In 2009, Selena leaned into her baby-faced good looks and rocked an adorable bob for the first time. (As you’ll soon see, she returned to this length in 2017.) It also appears that she lightened up her hair colour a bit, but her nose remains untouched, and her lips appear back to normal. Notice her protruding front teeth—I don’t think she has altered them to this day.

By age 17, her styling was becoming a little more glam. She grew out the bob and bangs—probably getting some help from hair extensions—and rocked her natural wavy texture, although her makeup remained low-key. But she hadn’t found the right under-eye concealer yet... it’s too light!

Remember when everyone was wearing these big sausage curls in their hair? Selena paired hers with bright mauve eyeshadow, tons of lip gloss, a mask of foundation, and a dusting of body shimmer. Ah, the early ‘10s seem so dated already! By the way, take note of her brows and eyelids, because I think she may have tweaked them later on, too.

The following year, as she embarked on her pop music career, she finally started nailing her red carpet style. Notice the subtle, expensive-looking highlights, the sleek, straight hairstyle, and the fresh, flawless makeup. Her brows were also starting to grow out nicely.

Next came an even more dramatic statement, with smoky, winged-out black eyeliner, a messy ponytail and Barbie-pink lips. Although it’s a great look, the skin finish is my least favourite, especially the obvious contouring on her forehead. As for her features, I don’t think she tweaked anything... yet!

This graphic eyeshadow look, captured shortly after Selena’s 22nd birthday, is probably my favourite. (Actually, it’s almost like a cooler, more lived-in version of the previous year’s makeup.) But because the eyes are so heavy, it’s hard to tell what’s going on underneath. To me, her eyelids don’t seem as heavy now, and her crease is higher up.

One thing I’ve noticed time and time again with celebs is that they often step out with a radically different look in order to distract us from their recent tweaks. Is that what is happening here? I think it might be, thanks to the coloured contacts, jet-black hair, false lashes and feathered brows. Underneath it all, I see a more button-like nose and a fuller upper lip (although that could be lip liner). 

It wasn’t long before Selena returned to her natural hair and eye colours. She’s also wearing less eye makeup here, which makes it apparent that her eye area may have been altered. Compared to, say, 2012, her brows are higher and more arched, leading me to believe she lifted them with Botox before committing to a permanent procedure. At the same time, her nose is definitely looking more petite.

Then, she surprised us all by debuting a fresh bob in light platinum blonde. The colour actually works because of the shorter length and how she kept both her roots and brows dark. Plus, the rest of the styling is edgy yet fresh. But see how her upper lip is kind of protruding out, and the Cupid’s bow has disappeared? Both suggest that she was dabbling with lip injections.

In 2018, Selena returned to brunette, but went even shorter, with soft waves. As you can see, her upper lip is still super-plumped, and her face seems fuller overall. But only the lips would be the result of injections. After undergoing a kidney transplant the previous year, she revealed that she was body-shamed for weight fluctuations caused by her daily lupus medication.

Perhaps her most memorable recent look was this voluminous retro bob with curled-under ends and a neutral makeup palette. She was 26 here, and I’m marvelling at how much her face has changed. Her brows are much more lifted, her lips are plumper (underneath the lip liner), and her nose is narrower and more chiseled.

For one of her only red carpet appearances in 2020, she rocked some new curtain bangs (which I love) and a soft updo. She’s still doing the lip liner thing to pump up her top lip, so it’s hard to say if there are fillers under there or not. But what really strikes me is the transformation of her eye area—and nobody seems to have noticed!

Brow and eye lift surgeries are a best-kept secret in Hollywood, since they can be so transformative, yet aren’t immediately obvious. Here, you can see why celebs like Selena love them—there’s so much more space to play with eye makeup! This vibrant pink shadow at her inner corners, diffused out into a neutral smoky eye, just wouldn’t have worked on her old eyelids.

In 2022, she returned to the red carpet—and while her brows don’t look as dramatically lifted as the last shot, they’re still in a different place on her face versus a decade ago (something that does not happen with normal aging!). Her nose has also become more chiseled, and she has a fuller upper lip. But is the latter a product of filler, lip liner, or both? It’s hard to tell!

Comparing Selena’s features in 2008 versus now, it’s obvious that her new look isn’t just because she has a talented makeup artist.

For starters, these photos show that her nose is no longer as wide, suggesting that she underwent surgery. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, since it has become the norm in Hollywood.

“Her nasal tip is narrower—she’s had a tip rhinoplasty,” confirms Dr. Charles S. Lee. “I say that she had a tip rhinoplasty because her bridge does not look altered. There’s a slight divot in the mid-section of her nose, which indicates she has a deviated septum, and I suspect the surgeon did not want to worsen her airway.”^[1]

Of course, like so many of her celebrity peers, she has apparently been experimenting with lip injections. According to Dr. Norman Rowe, she “received fillers in her lips since they appear fuller than before.”^[2] “The most noticeable difference is the shape of the lips, specifically in the Cupid’s bow,” says Dr. Adam Schaffner.^[3]

But there’s one more procedure that most people miss: a brow lift. “You can see that her eyebrows are much higher,” says Dr. Daniel Barrett. “There could be two possible situations. It could be a brow lift with Botox, or it could be a surgical brow lift that she might have done.”^[4]

“She’s had a surgical brow lift,” asserts Dr. Lee. “You see an increase in the eyelash to brow distance combined with a reduction in her forehead wrinkles. You only get that with surgery, not with Botox.”

Either way, experts agree—our girl next door underwent multiple procedures. As we’ve seen with Kylie Jenner, makeup alone just can’t work this kind of magic!