Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has once again sparked rumors she has undergone a facelift.
The ex-Secretary, 77, was photographed with notably smooth facial complexion on Wednesday evening when she stepped out on a date night with husband Bill in New York City.
The internet was soon awash with scores of comments about her surprisingly youthful looks, with many people speculating that she’d had a facelift.
Now top plastic surgeons have weighed in on the debate.
‘She’s doing maintenance for sure,’ Colorado-based Dr Chris Thiagarajah told the Daily Mail.
‘A little bit of filler in the cheeks, laser skin resurfacing or other skin work. I’m seeing that and think it’s possible — but that’s it.’
This type of cosmetic work differs from a facelift because patients do not have incisions or need their skin pulled back.
Dr Michael Niccole, from CosmetiCare in Newport Beach, California, added: ‘There’s no question Hillary Clinton has had some form of non-surgical facial rejuvenation.
‘Her skin appears smoother, and the fine lines are significantly reduced, which is typically the result of either a chemical peel or skin resurfacing treatment.’
Hillary, 77, looked remarkably taut faced and wrinkle free in the new pictures
Chemical peels are when chemicals are used to exfoliate the skin to improve its appearance, while laser resurfacing is when concentrated beams of light are targeted at specific areas to minimize fine lines, wrinkles and pigment issues.
Both surgeons caveated their claims by stressing they have not examined Clinton in person and could only base their opinions on photos.
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Clinton’s representatives had not responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment at the time of publication.
When comparing Wednesday’s photo to a picture of Clinton from 2023, the experts pointed specifically to the lack of lines on her forehead and around her eyes
This, they said, could have been achieved with Botox in these areas.
They added that she may also be using microneedling, which can give the appearance of tighter skin.
This is a minimally invasive procedure that involves puncturing the skin with very fine and sterile needles to stimulate its natural healing process and the production of collagen.
The procedure typically costs between $200 and $700 per session.
The surgeons cautioned, however, that lighting, make-up and camera angles could also be distorting the appearance of Clinton’s face.
Meanwhile, Dr Boris Ackerman, a top plastic surgeon who has carried out more than 1,500 facelifts and teaches other surgeons the technique, said he does not believe Clinton has had a recent facelift.
‘Looking at these photos, I can tell she definitely did not have surgery,’ he claimed.
Clinton pictured above at the DNC convention in August, 2024, and in September 2023
‘She still looks age appropriate; her cheeks are more drooped, she has jowls, a heavy neck and elongated upper lip — which would be reduced by a facelift,’ he continued.
‘But she has most definitely had some type of skin resurfacing done by a laser or chemical peel, which creates smoother skin and eliminates creases. In short, her skin looks as though she has lived in Iceland all her life — and had little sun damage.’
This is not the first time Clinton has faced speculation over potential tweakments.
Rumors that she’d had a face have been reported as far back as 2015.
Journalist Edward Klein claimed Clinton set up a ‘mini-operating room’ in her home in Chappaqua, New York, to get plastic surgery done ahead of her run for president.
Surgeons gradually tweaked her cheeks, eyes, neck and forehead, Klein reported.
He continued: ‘If it had started to make her look weird, she would have stopped it immediately. It was a pretty big deal and required multiple visits.’
Her spokesman denied the allegations at the time, saying: 'Someone should do a book about Ed. They could call it, "Bulls**t: The Problem With Anything Ed Klein Writes'.
In 2016, Dr Thiagarajah suggested that Clinton had received surgery to open up her eyes.
This is ptosis surgery, he told the Daily Mail at the time, or an operation to tighten the muscle that lifts the upper eyelid to give eyes a more open, alert and refreshed look.
It differs from a bletharoplasty, which is when skin is removed from above the eyes to enhance their appearance.
'This kind of surgery can be done medically, to help you see better, or cosmetically, to make you look more awake, alert, all that kind of stuff,' he said.
Rumors of plastic surgery resurfaced again in 2019 after she appeared looking particularly youthful at an event on Broadway, New York.
Journalists reported how her glowing skin was noticeably smoother and her cheeks more defined than earlier that same week.
Aesthetic expert Dr Ross Perry, founder of www.cosmedics.co.uk, said at the time that Clinton had been 'genetically blessed' with good skin - but claimed it could also be a result of Botox, injectable dermal fillers and Blepharoplasty.
Clinton's appearance at the Democrat National Convention in August last year sparked yet more rumors.
One viewer wrote online: 'Me Googling deep plane facelift after seeing Miss Hillary Clinton looking absolutely snatched at the DNC'. A second said: 'Is this really Hillary Clinton? If so, it must be the facelift of the century'.
Clinton's team did not respond to a request for comment.
But in 2015, Clinton said in response to a poke at her blonde hairdo: 'All our presidents come into office looking so vigorous. And then we watch their hair grow grayer and grayer.
'Well, I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I will be the youngest woman president in the history of the United States!
'And the first grandmother, as well. And one additional advantage: You won't see my hair turn white in the White House.'