Denise Richards‘s plastic surgeon is revealing the behind-the-scenes details that went into transforming the actress’s recognizable visage via a complete facelift.
While speaking to Inside Edition on Monday, the Beverly Hills–based celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Talei said Richards, 55, decided to get the appearance-altering procedure because she felt that her ‘face just didn’t look like her anymore.’
Talei, who appeared in his scrubs for the interview, added that Richards felt her ‘look didn’t match how she feels anymore’ when he was asked why she wanted a facelift, and he boasted that she still has the ‘energy of a 12-year-old.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Richards and Talei for comment.
The latest deep dive comes after Talei shared a series of stunning before-and-after photos revealing the transformative effects of Richards’s facelift, which she recently admitted to undergoing eight months ago to achieve a more youthful appearance.
According to Inside Edition, the surgery lasted a grueling four-and-a-half hours.
Denis Richards’s plastic surgeon is revealing the behind-the-scenes details that went into transforming the actress’s recognizable visage via a complete facelift; Richards is pictured March 20 in LA
While speaking to Inside Edition on Monday, the Beverly Hills–based celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Talei (pictured) said Richards, 55, decided to get the appearance-altering procedure because she felt that her ‘face just didn’t look like her anymore’
The interview included footage of Richards while she was under anesthesia as Talei inserted a syringe into her eyebrow.
He deposited the liquid substance in multiple areas, and the imprint of the syringe could be seen under the skin.
In addition to seemingly giving the OK for her surgery to be recorded, Denise also allowed cameras in as Talei drew with a purple marker across her face to highlight the key areas he would be operating on.
Talei had previously shared photos of Richards prior to her facelift, which served as her before images, but the interview included video of her posing with a downturned mouth for the pictures.
Talei clarified that he performed a face and neck lift on Richards, along with a temporal brow restoration, in which he said he ‘reset the entire upper third of the face.’
He added that he recontoured Richards’s eyes, and he gave her a ‘cupid corner lift,’ a procedure that Talei says he ‘pioneered and perfected’ that reshapes the upper lip.
In this instance, the corners of Richards’s mouth appeared to have been pulled upward to give her a more youthful appearance and to enhance her smile.
The interview included a previously shared photo of Richards’s bandaged face, along with a picture snapped days later that gave a clearer picture of the stitches around her eyes and at the corner of her mouth, which were more visible after some of the post-operative swelling had dissipated.
Talei said the four-and-a-half hour surgery included a face and neck lift, along with a temporal brow restoration, in which he said he ‘reset the entire upper third of the face.’ He also recontoured Richards’s eyes and gave her a ‘cupid corner lift’; she’s pictured on March 8 in LA
Talei said Richards was ‘incredibly happy’ with her results. ‘She said, “Oh my god, I can see my eyes again. I can see my eyes again,”‘ Talei recounted, adding that Richards declared, ‘I look like myself again’; pictured in 2024 in West Hollywood
When asked about Richards’s reaction to the surgery, Talei said she was ‘incredibly happy’ with her results.
‘She said, “Oh my god, I can see my eyes again. I can see my eyes again,”‘ Talei recounted, adding that Richards declared, ‘I look like myself again.’
On Saturday, Talei posted side-by-side photos to Instagram of Richards taken before and after the surgery, revealing more lifted brows, a taut jawline and an overall smoother look to Richards’s face.
Dr. Talei said in the caption of his post that he was honored to help ‘one of the most lovely and beautiful people to ever walk this earth.
‘I’m so grateful to Denise for being so open about the procedure. She’s been through so much this past year and her resilience is just astounding.’
Richards revealed her decision to undergo a facelift last year, admitting she was ‘terrified’ to go under the knife, in an interview with Allure published on Friday.
In addition to her facelift, Dr. Talei also performed a temporal brow lift, upper blepharoplasty, lip lift and fat grafting on Richards’s face.
The star also confessed that she underwent a reparative breast surgery, just three weeks before her facelift was performed.
Talei previously shared before-and-after photos on Instagram. Richards recently admitted to going under the knife eight months ago to achieve a more youthful appearance at age 55
He included images that were illustrated to show where her face would be affected
The photos show Richards with more lifted brows, a taut jawline and an overall smoother look to Richards’s face
Dr. Talei said in the caption of his post that he was honored to help ‘one of the most lovely and beautiful people to ever walk this earth’
Richards revealed her decision to undergo a facelift last year, admitting she was ‘terrified’ to go under the knife, in an interview with Allure published on Friday
Richards’s recovery time occurred less than two weeks before her bitter divorce battle with estranged husband Aaron Phypers commenced in July 2025; seen in 2023
Richards’s recovery time occurred less than two weeks before her bitter divorce battle with estranged husband Aaron Phypers commenced in July 2025.
‘I started going through my divorce 10 days after I had surgery,’ she revealed.
The former Playboy model also claimed that it was her ex who ‘leaked’ the news of her surgeries before she was ready to talk about it publicly.
‘Going through my divorce, my ex disclosed that I’d had a facelift,’ she claimed. ‘He had a photographer show up outside an appointment where I had some micro-needling on my scars.’
Richards continued: ‘So he told someone that I had a facelift and said it was botched, which is really ridiculous. You know, I went back and forth about whether I was going to say anything about my facelift — um, he kind of let the cat out of the bag.’
After their split last summer, she accused Phypers of abuse, allegations he has vehemently denied.
Their divorce proceedings are still ongoing.
In their latest court hearing related to their separation, Richards was ordered to pay her estranged husband $5,000 per month in temporary spousal support.
Phypers is also facing four felony counts – two felony counts of injuring a spouse and two felony counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat – from alleged domestic violence incidents in 2022.
In late 2025, Richards was granted a five-year restraining order against Phypers.
