Denise Richards Discusses Her Face-Lift Journey and Shares Before-and-After Photos

Denise Richards has, for better or worse, been an open book.

Whether she’s welcoming cameras into her home for the sake of reality TV with Denise Richards & Her Wild Things or speaking openly about spousal abuse and divorce with the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the Drop Dead Gorgeous star has let the public in during her most vulnerable times. And she’s doing it again.

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In an intimate interview with Allure magazine, the Starship Troopers actress opened up about the changes she’s recently experienced, specifically her stunning face-lift.

What Did Denise Richards Have Done?

Speaking about her “shocking” transformation, she told the publication that her reason for going the surgery route was to turn back the clock a little bit.

​​”I wanted to put things back up, where they were before,” Richards said.

No stranger to going under the knife for cosmetic reasons, Richards, who had breast augmentation at age 19 and revision surgery since then, said that her face-lift marked the first time she’d ever had cosmetic surgery done on her face.

“I was terrified,” Richards said. “Being in the public eye since my 20s, people know what I look like — a facelift is not something that I could hide.”

In addition to the typical face-lift, Allure shared that Richards’ plastic surgeon, Ben Talei, M.D., said he also lifted the outer corners of her lips “to make the mouth look happier and sexier.” He also performed “a very minor and conservative upper blepharoplasty,” a temporal brow lift “to correct the brow position,” and a repositioning of “the forehead and temples back to where they used to be.”

“Dr. Talei used Richards’ own fat, taken from her thighs and reintroduced in a thin, even layer underneath the skin on her face and neck, to brighten her complexion and make her look all-around smoother and healthier,” the outlet writes. “And then there was the actual facelift.”

“My face was in his hands,” Richards said, adding that she told her doctor, “You’re the artist. Whatever you want to do.”

The Before-and-After Pictures

Commenting on the results, Richards said, “It is night and day. It’s shocking, actually.”

As Hollywood isn’t keen on sharing its secrets of staying young, the actress and mom of three said that when she opened up about her face-lift, fellow celebs “were more comfortable telling me about theirs, but I’m not gonna name names.”

Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers’ Split

Around the same time, Richards was going through a divorce from Aaron Phypers, her husband of six years.

“Unfortunately, I started going through my divorce 10 days after I had surgery. So the second week wasn’t as calm as the first week. But I still took it easy, making sure that I took care of my incisions. Each day that went by, the swelling was getting better and better. I looked like myself, but better,” she told the magazine.

Phypers filed for divorce from Richards on July 7, 2025, citing irreconcilable differences. Richards accused Phypers of abuse, death threats, and possession of unregistered weapons in a request for a restraining order. Ten days after Phypers’ filing, Richards’ request for a temporary restraining order was granted.

Richards’ abuse accusations were discussed in a recent episode of the RHOBH, on which Richards used to star. Serving as a guest star in the 15th season, Richards shared with Erika Jayne and Sutton Stracke her experience being abused by Phypers, with the show airing an image of Richards with a black eye.

In another resurfaced scene, Phypers can be heard telling Richards “I’m going to crush your f—ing hand. Stop it,” as the two hastily exit a party, per People.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available 24 hours a day through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

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This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.