Why does Bradley Cooper look SO different? Plastic surgeon gives his verdict on Oscar-winning star’s taut visage

As an actor, reinvention is part of the job description; but Bradley Cooper has fans wondering how he manages to age in reverse.

The Hollywood star will turn 51 in January, but he may still look like a man in his mid-forties rather than someone rushing into middle age.

Earlier this month, while on a promotional tour for his latest film, Is This Thing On?, the father-of-one was spotted discussing the new movie.

Wearing a black T-shirt and burgundy jacket, Bradley talked excitedly about the film about stand-up comedians.

However, the comments shared in the comments section of the clip TO! newsIt attracted the attention of fans who admired the star’s radiant, smooth and plump skin.

Many compared his more prominent, rounded cheekbones to those of Barry Manilow and Cillian Murphy, while others noted that he looked ‘different’.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, plastic surgeon Gerard Lambe, who has never treated Bradley, admitted that he looks different and that this could be due to some very skilful cosmetic work.

He said: ‘In my view,Here are a few things he’s done, including tightening his jaw and getting a facelift.’

Bradley Cooper appears to be aging backwards (left, in 2019, right, in 2025)

Even though he turns 50 in January, he may act like a man decades younger

B.But Mr Lambe says he does not think Bradley had a previous facelift, but rather one that used a pioneering method of removing the SMAS (Superficial Muscular-Aponeurotic System), the fibrous layer beneath the skin and fat.

‘I describe the skin as being like a poor quality carpet, but the deeper layer, the SMAS, is a quality underlayer.

‘If you pull the skin, it hangs down again, but underneath the skin there is a layer of fat and a fibrous, hard layer, and underneath that are the nerves that move the face.

‘There are different approaches, but I prefer to keep it and stitch the SMAS to itself; It provides volume and lift and holds very well.’

According to Mr Lambe’s expert opinion, Bradley had his ‘SMAS’ pulled behind his ear, which tightened his jawline and neck.

‘A facelift restores the heart shape of the face. When you get a double chin, you go a bit square in the lower third of the face.

‘Restoring the heart shape provides a lot of youthfulness and this is done through tightening the SMAS.’

There is much debate in the field of plastic surgery as to whether SMAS or deep plane facelift provides superior results.

Some fans cruelly compared Bradley, 50, to iconic singer Barry Manilow, 82.

Bradley’s eyes looked even more hooded in 2023, leading Mr Lambe to suspect he might have upper eyelid surgery

But for gamers, Mr Lambe says the former is often more suitable because of less downtime and less risk of permanent nerve damage; but there will also be drowsiness.

He said: ‘Once you When you lift the skin it feels numb and the nerves have to grow back into it. It may take up to six months for full feeling to return.

‘In terms of recovery, you tend to look very good quite quickly.

‘I’ve had patients come back a week later, no bruising, they look absolutely fine. ‘You wouldn’t know if they did anything.’

However, he does not think the actor had a facelift from the neck up and filled his naturally sunken cheeks with fillers or fat transfer.

And to achieve a radiant, smooth look, Mr Lambe thinks Bradley will undergo laser or chemical resurfacing treatments, which remove the top layer of skin and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles.

He said: ‘It is difficult to say what has replaced this volume.

‘As we get older, the air in that area deflates and falls. It’s not just gravity. This is also deflation.

Mr Lambe says he thought Bradley appeared to have done ‘a good job’

‘But that’s why we often put some fat in the middle of the face to plump it up.’

Mr Lambe also thinks Bradley may have undergone upper blephoraplasty, or a mild brow lift, in which excess, loose flesh is surgically removed from the upper eye socket.

‘His eyes look a little wider and more open,’ he said.

Although fans were divided on Bradley’s updated look, Mr. Lambe was impressed.

‘Overall I think it is a good work. I think it looks pretty good.

‘I don’t really blame him for wanting the job done; in front of that public eye.

‘I don’t think it looks strange, it’s just a bit of a change. Some celebrities have had similar work done and they look absolutely miserable.’