For actors, transformation is part of the craft, yet Bradley Cooper has left fans curious about how he seems to be defying the passage of time.

The acclaimed Hollywood actor, who will celebrate his 51st birthday in January, could easily be mistaken for someone in his mid-forties, rather than approaching the milestone of middle age.

Recently, while promoting his upcoming film, “Is This Thing On?”, Cooper was caught on camera discussing his latest project with excitement.

Clad in a black T-shirt paired with a maroon blazer, Bradley expressed his enthusiasm for the movie, which delves into the world of stand-up comedians.

However, the comments section of the clip, shared by E! news, attracted the insight of fans who were taken aback by the star’s radiant, smooth, plump complexion. 

Observers couldn’t help but notice his more pronounced, fuller cheekbones, drawing comparisons to Barry Manilow and Cillian Murphy, while others remarked on how ‘different’ he appeared.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, plastic surgeon Gerard Lambe—who has never treated Bradley—agreed that he does look different, and it might be due to some very skillful cosmetic work. 

He said:  ‘In my opinion, there’s a few things he’s had done, including having his jaw tightened, and a lower facelift.’ 

Bradley Cooper appears to be ageing backwards (left, in 2019, right, in 2025) 

Despite turning 50 in January, he could pass as man decades younger

But, says Mr Lambe, he doesn’t think Bradley has had any old facelift, but one which uses a pioneering method which lifts the SMAS—the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System—the fibrous layer beneath the skin and fat. 

‘I describe the skin as being like poor quality carpet, but the deeper layer, the SMAS, is good quality underlay.

‘If you pull on the skin, it just sags back down, but beneath the skin, there’s a fat layer and a fibrousy, tough layer, and underneath that are the nerves that move the face. 

‘There’s different approaches, but I tend to grab it and stitch the SMAS to itself, and that gives volume and lift and it holds very well.’

In Mr Lambe’s expert opinion, Bradley has had his ‘SMAS pulled up behind his ear, and that’s tightened his jawline and tightened his neck.

‘A facelift restores the heart shape of the face. When you get jowls, you go a little bit square in the lower third of the face. 

‘Restoring that heart shape provides a lot of youth, and that is done through tightening the SMAS.’ 

Much debate rages in the plastic surgery sphere about whether SMAS or deep plane facelifts provide superior results. 

Some fans cruelly compared Bradley, 50, to iconic crooner Barry Manilow, 82

Bradley’s eyes appeared to be more hooded in 2023, leading Mr Lambe to suspect he might have had an upper blepharoplasty

But for actors, Mr Lambe says the former is often more appropriate due to a lesser downtime, and less risk of permanent nerve damage—although there will be numbness. 

He said: ‘Once you lift the skin, it feels numb and the nerves have to grow back into it. It can take up to six months for full feeling to come back.

‘Recovery wise, you tend to look very good quite quickly. 

‘I’ve had patients come in one week later, no bruising, looking absolutely fine. You wouldn’t know they’d had anything done.’

However, he doesn’t think that the actor has had a facelift from the neck upwards, and has replenished his naturally sinking cheeks with filler or via fat transfer. 

And to get his glowing, smooth visage, Mr Lambe thinks Bradley will have undergone laser or chemical resurfacing treatments which remove the top layer of skin and blast away fine lines and wrinkles. 

He said: ‘It’s hard to say what’s been put in to replace that volume. 

‘As we age, we deflate in that area and it drops. It’s not just the gravity. It’s the deflation as well. 

Mr Lambe says that he thinks Bradley looks like he has had ‘good work’ 

‘But that’s why we often put a bit of fat in the middle of the face to plump it up.’

Mr Lambe also thinks that Bradley might have had an upper blephoraplasty—when excess, lax flesh is surgically removed from the upper eye socket—or a subtle brow lift procedure. 

‘His eyes do look a bit wider and more open,’ he noted.

Although fans are divided about Bradley’s refreshed appearance, Mr Lambe is impressed.

‘I think overall, it is good work. I think he looks pretty good. 

‘I don’t really blame him for wanting to have work done—he’s in the public eye. 

‘I don’t think he looks weird, it’s just that it’s a bit of a change. Some celebrities have had similar work done and they look absolutely wrecked.’