Beauty is pain, but is it safe? That was HollywoodLife’s question when we approached Dr. Daniel Barrett, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, in regards to Sharon Osbourne’s string of facelifts. The talk show host debuted the procedure she had undergone at the tail end of the summer of 2019 — her fourth facelift total — during a September episode of The View. Sharon even revealed that her latest facelift was so “bloody painful,” she cried out “help me, help me” after leaving the operating theater, according to her daughter Kelly Osbourne’s first-hand account that Sharon relayed on the Dec. 18 episode of Loose Women. We learned if that meant Sharon hit her facelift limit.
“There isn’t a magic number,” Dr. Barrett EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife, after we asked if it’s possible to get too many facelifts. The surgery is also known as a rhytidectomy, which removes excess skin, according to the Mayo Clinic. But going overboard on the dramatic procedure — which he explained “addresses the actual skin around the face, cheeks, and jawline” — isn’t optimal. Dr. Barrett added, “Obviously, we want to reduce overall surgeries as excessive revisions come with an increased risk of complications!” Some of these “complications” can include scar tissue that sometimes develops post-surgery, “so excess facelifts can cause excessive scar tissue build up,” the surgeon explained.
Age is another factor to consider. “Risks from surgery can increase as patient ages. Some facelift procedures can be a 10-hour surgery!” Dr. Barrett exclaimed, adding, “I wouldn’t suggest continuing with plastic surgery under a general anesthetic into a patient’s 90’s!” However, Dr. Barrett believed the safety of facelifts (no matter how many are done) depends on the surgeon responsible. “If done by a reputable board-certified plastic surgeon, this is a safe surgery,” he assured. “Any surgery can be dangerous if the patient isn’t a good candidate or if they haven’t been pre-screened medically.” Dr. Barrett also pointed out that “skin can stretch quite a bit,” which is good for facelifts. “That isn’t the goal, however, if multiple procedures are performed the skin can continue to stretch,” he explained.
However, Dr. Barrett did tell us that “some surgeons will advise patients to have them done every 10-15 years,” although that suggested upkeep “depends on the quality of the facelift” and “the patient’s rate of aging.” The timeline of Sharon’s various cosmetic procedures spreads out over the course of years. Her first cosmetic surgery was a breast reduction and lift in 1978, which she revealed in her 2013 autobiography Unbreakable. “There’s not much I haven’t had tweaked, stretched, peeled, lasered, veneered, enhanced or removed altogether,” Sharon wrote.
Sharon has also admitted to undergoing a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), eye lift, and liposuction in the past. But Dr. Barrett had a safer alternative for this laundry list of invasive procedures: “There are injectables, Botox and facial treatments and nonsurgical technologies like the Venus Legacy that can optimize her results without continued surgeries!”
