In Hollywood, changing your look can make headlines—but choosing to step back can spark an even bigger conversation. Over the last few years, a number of well-known stars have opened up about rethinking facial fillers and other cosmetic treatments. Some chose to dissolve or reverse certain procedures, others simply stopped keeping up with injections, and a few aimed for a softer, more natural look. Their journeys, shared in their own words and reflected in new photos from 2026, offer a thoughtful look at aging, health, and self-acceptance.
If you are in your midlife years or beyond, you might recognize some of the pressures these celebrities describe. Many of them talk about the challenge of balancing public expectations with personal comfort, and how stepping away from certain treatments helped them feel more like themselves again. What follows is a friendly, easy-to-follow look at how these stars navigated that change and what they look like today.
Long before today’s open conversations about cosmetic work, Hollywood’s beauty standards could be unforgiving. Over time, several stars decided to pause, reverse, or rethink their choices, and their stories show that there is no single right path—only the one that feels right for each person. | Source: Getty Images
Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell has always been direct, and he was just as candid when he explained why he changed course on facial fillers. He recalled looking at a photo of himself and feeling startled by the face staring back. That moment, and a good laugh from his son, prompted a reset. He later shared that he had stopped fillers altogether and shifted toward simple habits like healthy eating and drinking more water.
Before
Pictured in 2017, Simon Cowell later said this was part of a period when he felt he had gone too far with facial filler. An old photograph, and his son’s reaction to it, nudged him to reconsider his approach. | Source: Getty Images
Over time Cowell spoke openly about his experiences with fillers, explaining that he reached a point where the results no longer felt like him. That realization became the turning point. | Source: Getty Images
He later said plainly that he stopped, sharing that the photos were a wake-up call. He emphasized feeling better focusing on hydration and nutrition rather than more injections.
2026
By 2026, Cowell appeared content with a simpler routine. He described swapping procedures for everyday wellness habits like eating well and drinking plenty of water. | Source: Getty Images
His 2026 look reflects that change: more natural and at ease, shaped less by cosmetic add-ons and more by lifestyle. | Source: Getty Images
Reflecting on a trend that swept through show business, he noted that while many tried frequent injections, he now prefers the basics. For him, the change was about feeling like himself again.
Kristin Davis
Kristin Davis has been refreshingly honest about her ups and downs with fillers. Some treatments worked for her, and others did not, and she faced tough public scrutiny at times. She later chose to have some filler dissolved and talked about the stress of feeling judged while she tried to find a balance that felt right.
Before
Seen in 2011, years before she opened up about her mixed experiences, Davis eventually shared that she had some filler dissolved after being unhappy with the outcome. | Source: Getty Images
As attention on her appearance intensified, Davis described how emotional the process could be—especially when she was already working to fix results she didn’t love. | Source: Getty Images
She also noted that patients rely heavily on professionals and that when things go wrong, celebrities are often blamed as though they did the work themselves. | Source: Getty Images
Looking back, she’s grateful to the friends who spoke up gently when something didn’t look quite right. In recent years, she has said she doesn’t want to keep up with constant treatments.
2026
Photographed in 2026, Davis appears comfortable stepping back from injectables. She has talked about dissolving what didn’t work and not feeling the need to maintain a demanding routine. | Source: Getty Images
Her more recent approach focuses on what feels manageable in real life, rather than chasing constant upkeep. | Source: Getty Images
As she put it, she simply doesn’t have the time or the interest to keep doing it—an honest perspective many can relate to.
Madonna
Madonna’s appearance at the 2023 Grammy Awards brought intense public commentary. In the time since, reporting suggested she was aiming for a less sculpted, more natural look, with a focus on noninvasive skin-refreshing techniques. While Madonna herself hasn’t confirmed specific changes to fillers, the conversation around her image highlighted a broader shift toward letting a famous face simply look like itself again.
Before
Madonna in 1998, long before her appearance became a major topic of debate. Over the years, the superstar’s approach to beauty and aging has been discussed widely. | Source: Getty Images
Her 2023 Grammys appearance drew considerable attention. In the aftermath, sources suggested she was exploring ways to look less sculpted and more like herself. | Source: Getty Images
One insider described a desire for a face that moves naturally, with treatments like LED light, oxygen facials, and lymphatic drainage in the mix—methods aimed more at skin health than reshaping.
2026
By 2026, Madonna’s public appearances continued to generate buzz, with talk of a gentler, more natural presentation—even as she has not detailed specific filler changes herself. | Source: Getty Images
Performing in New York City in 2026, she looked energized and confident, embracing a presentation that felt true to her. | Source: Getty Images
For a face as iconic as hers, the goal—according to those close to her—was simple: to look like Madonna, only refreshed.
Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox has spoken openly about the difficulty of getting older in the public eye. She once felt pushed toward fillers, then stepped back and realized she no longer looked like herself. That realization inspired her to have her fillers dissolved and embrace a more natural look.
Before
Earlier in her career, Cox navigated the same image pressures that affect many in Hollywood, long before she chose to reverse course on injectables. | Source: Getty Images
By 2017, she was already moving away from fillers. She later shared that she had them fully dissolved and felt better returning to a more familiar appearance. | Source: Getty Images
Looking back, she recalled the moment she realized she didn’t look like herself anymore. That moment set her on a new path. | Source: Getty Images
By 2019 she said she had been filler-free for nearly two years, embracing aging with a new mindset focused on acceptance.
2026
In 2026, Cox’s features appear relaxed and natural. She has said she now prefers to age with what she was given, rather than trying to chase after change. | Source: Getty Images
Her later comments focus on gratitude and self-acceptance—sentiments that resonate with many people navigating midlife and beyond. | Source: Getty Images
As she put it, she’s embracing who she is and the years that come with it, without trying to force what’s not natural for her.
Tallulah Willis
Tallulah Willis shared that she had her filler dissolved in 2024, explaining that the choice was as emotional as it was aesthetic. She had become attached to the way the filler changed her face and found it eye-opening to see her natural bone structure again after years.
Before
With her mother, Demi Moore, in 2008, Willis would later discuss how fillers affected the way she saw herself and why she chose to dissolve them. | Source: Getty Images
She described becoming emotionally tied to what she thought filler gave her, a common and very human experience in a world full of comparisons. | Source: Getty Images
After dissolving the filler, she wrote that she was seeing her real features again for the first time in years—both a relief and an adjustment.
2026
By 2026, Willis said she was still learning to sit with her natural look, dialing back the urge to make constant tweaks and appreciating her face as it is. | Source: Getty Images
Her reflections will feel familiar to anyone who has tried something new, only to realize that the most comfortable place to land is often closer to your original self.
Anna Faris
Anna Faris experimented with injections in her upper lip around the time she filmed The House Bunny. She later shared that, while she noticed a small difference, it wasn’t something others were commenting on. Over time, as people close to her weighed in, she gradually stepped away from the injections and came to see them as a choice that didn’t suit her.
Before
Earlier in her career, Faris explored lip injections and later reflected on how her feelings about them changed. | Source: Getty Images
Pictured at the 2008 premiere of The House Bunny, she later described deciding to wean herself off the injections, realizing they weren’t the right fit for her. | Source: Getty Images
In her memoir, she called the decision to get injections a mistake for her personally and explained how she eased away from them.
2026
By 2026, Faris’s look reflects years without lip injections. Instead of dissolving anything, she simply stopped and allowed time to do the rest. | Source: Getty Images
Her later appearances show a relaxed, natural smile—one that aligns with her own comfort and preferences. | Source: Getty Images
Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna’s cosmetic history goes back decades. She has spoken about getting silicone injected into her upper lip at age 25 and, later, dealing with scar tissue that changed the look of her lip. More recently, she tried a skin treatment intended to add glow rather than volume, but she didn’t like the result and chose to have it reversed quickly.
Before
Rinna in 1998. Years earlier, she had silicone injected into her upper lip; over time, scar tissue formed and altered its appearance. | Source: Getty Images
She has been forthright about both her early decisions and her more recent experiences, including a skin-boosting injectable that didn’t agree with her. | Source: Getty Images
When a cosmetic influencer commented on her appearance in 2024, Rinna explained that the treatment wasn’t for her. She went straight to her dermatologist and had it dissolved, saying her face returned to normal within days.
2026
By 2026, Rinna appeared back to her usual look. She also shared how tough the online commentary had been, even as she quickly corrected the result she didn’t like. | Source: Getty Images
Her experience is a reminder that even seasoned public figures can run into results they don’t love—and that it’s okay to change course. | Source: Getty Images
She later said the reaction was harsh and that she herself knew it didn’t look right, which is why she acted immediately to reverse it.
Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith shared that she didn’t realize at first that her cosmetic work had gone further than she wanted. The wake-up call came from other people’s reactions, which led her to seek out another doctor to dissolve what she no longer felt comfortable with. Separate from cosmetics, she has also used her platform to encourage sun safety after treatment related to basal cell skin cancer.
Before
Griffith in 1995, long before she spoke publicly about reversing cosmetic work. Later, she would say that reactions to her appearance helped her reassess some earlier choices. | Source: Getty Images
She has also advocated for regular skin checks and sunscreen use after sharing a photo of herself recovering from a procedure related to basal cell skin cancer. | Source: Getty Images
Griffith explained that the process of dissolving unwanted filler helped her feel more natural again. And on the health front, she urged followers to protect their skin, get checkups, and take sun exposure seriously.
2026
By 2026, she appeared comfortable with a look she described as closer to her natural self. Her message emphasizes both personal choice and health awareness. | Source: Getty Images
Years after seeking a different doctor to reverse cosmetic work, Griffith’s appearance reflects her wish to look more like herself again. | Source: Getty Images
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande said she stopped using lip filler and Botox in 2018. In a later interview, she was open about having used both extensively and reached a point where it felt like too much. Choosing to pause was about feeling better and less hidden, she explained. She didn’t say she had anything dissolved; she simply stopped.
Before
Earlier in her career, Grande used lip filler and Botox and later spoke plainly about the decision to stop. | Source: Getty Images
By 2020 she was already two years into her choice to step away from injectables, describing a desire to feel more like herself again. | Source: Getty Images
Her comments encouraged a more open, compassionate view of beauty—reminding people that it’s okay to change your mind and do what feels right for you.
2026
In 2026, Grande’s look reflects years without new filler or Botox. She has focused more on expressing herself honestly than on maintaining treatments that no longer felt necessary. | Source: Getty Images
At the 2026 AFI Awards, she appeared radiant and comfortable—a testament to following her own path rather than outside expectations. | Source: Getty Images
Yolanda Hadid
On a milestone birthday in 2019, Yolanda Hadid reflected on her beauty journey and celebrated being “back to the original 1964.” She wrote about living without fillers, Botox, or implants and finding deeper health and happiness in defining beauty by her own standards. Her message was less about looks and more about well-being and self-acceptance.
Before
Hadid in 2012, years before she shared that she had stepped away from many of the cosmetic choices she once felt were expected of her. | Source: Getty Images
She later wrote about undoing those earlier choices, prioritizing her health, and embracing her natural self. | Source: Getty Images
Her advice to followers was thoughtful and practical: do your research, be informed, and remember that beauty without health doesn’t mean much. She encouraged people of all ages to celebrate their unique features through every stage of life.
2026
By 2026, Hadid had long been living without the fillers and Botox she once used, emphasizing wellness and self-defined beauty as her guiding lights. | Source: Getty Images
Taken together, these stories show just how personal appearance choices are—especially under a spotlight. Some reversed procedures, some paused them, and others softened their approach. The common thread is listening to your own instincts. For many of these stars, stepping back brought relief, confidence, and a renewed sense of self.
The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content is for general information only. Before undertaking any course of treatment, please consult with your healthcare provider.
However you feel about cosmetic treatments—curious, cautious, or content without them—there’s comfort in knowing there isn’t a single right way to age. What matters most is feeling healthy, staying informed, and choosing the path that lets you look in the mirror and recognize the person smiling back.
