Has Tom Cruise ever had plastic surgery? This has been one of the biggest rumors about Cruise aside from frequent discussions surrounding his teeth. He has consistently denied the speculation regarding his self-care habits, including alleged nip-and-tuck interventions. “I haven’t [had cosmetic surgery], and I never would,” he told Playboy in 2012, according to Parade. Over time, he’s learned to brush off the noise. “Do you wish they wouldn’t say certain things? Yeah, you wish. Does refuting things help? Not really.” The actor said, “I hear it, I read it, I get it. But life is not a matter of trying to prove anything to anybody.”
Advertisement
In 2016, speculation was rife that Cruise had a bit of tune-up after he was spotted at the BAFTA Film Awards in London looking particularly snatched. He had none of the harsh lines around his eyes while his face seemed noticeably fuller (likely due to dermal fillers) and more taut (Botox injections). He looked especially stiff when posing for a photo with his contemporary, Leonardo DiCaprio. “What has Tom Cruise done to his face? Scarier than the bear in Revenant,” one X user, formerly Twitter, said. “Looks like Tom Cruise has just been on a Mission Impossible type mission to steal all the world’s botox supply for his face,” another added. That wasn’t the only time the “Edge of Tomorrow” star sent plastic surgery rumors into overdrive.
Advertisement
Cruise sparked online chatter in 2014
Tom Cruise’s 2014 Jameson Empire Awards appearance also sparked fierce debate about whether he had any work done. His face appeared noticeably swollen due to possible dermal fillers, with eyewitnesses describing it as resembling “a puffy pillow,” according to The Star. Dr. Anthony Youn, who did not treat the actor, suggested that Cruise may have opted for an injectable called Sculptra. “This treatment is typically used to fill in gaunt faces, and it can cause facial swelling,” he explained (via The Daily Telegraph). The average cost of Sculptra injections range anywhere between $800 to $1,200 per vial.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, an insider close to Cruise claimed that his cosmetic tweaks might have stemmed from deeper, personal issues. “He’s gotten terribly insecure when it comes to aging,” they explained (via Celebitchy). As he looks for a romantic partner, Cruise reportedly feels the pressure to maintain a youthful image. “The fact of the matter is, he’s attracted to younger women, so he wants to look young.”
He shocked fans with his bloated face in 2021
In 2021, Tom Cruise raised eyebrows when he showed up at a San Francisco Giants game sporting a noticeably plumped up face. On X, ABC 7 News’ Chris Alvarez posted a clip of Cruise looking unusually bloated while sitting courtside next to his son Connor (who himself has had quite the transformation). Many were stunned by the sudden change. “I don’t think that’s Cruise,” one X user posited. Another asked, “What he do to his face, same doctor as Wayne Newton?”
Advertisement
Others speculated about possible enhancements, including, among others, Botox and filler injections. “It looks like he’s had some work done, Botox in the forehead, something done with his chin and then he’s gained weight on top of that,” an X user added, stressing, “Barely looks like him anymore.”
Cruise reignited plastic surgery talks during the 2024 Paris Olympics
During the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Tom Cruise stunned fans with an epic “Mission: Impossible”-style stunt. But it wasn’t just his death-defying moves that got people talking online, as plenty of viewers were distracted by his noticeably swollen appearance. “Plastic surgery does not look good on Tom Cruise, what happened,” one post on X read. Another blasted the actor for trying to turn back time with his rumored enhancements. “Who does he think he’s fooling? ‘Hey did you know Tom Cruise is still 30?’ said no one ever,” they added.
Advertisement
Speaking to Nicki Swift’s sister site, The List, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Patrick Davis, said Cruise’s bizarre Olympics face might not be what fans had suspected. “His face appears to be more swollen than previous images of the star have shown,” Dr. Davis acknowledged. “But that could be due to a heavy travel schedule, uneven diet, and poor camera angles and lighting.” Of course, age is also a factor. Further, he doesn’t think Cruise had undergone extensive cosmetic procedures, per se, but suspects some subtle tweaks like fillers to reduce his fine lines, and Botox injections.
He stunned viewers with his new look in the 2025 SuperBowl ad
Following his bizarre Olympics appearance, Tom Cruise set tongues wagging once more with his viral ad for the 2025 Super Bowl. The actor starred in a moving commercial featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles that aired ahead of the championship game on February 9. However, fans were more focused on his face as they noticed that Cruise looked strangely stiff and taut in the video. After watching the ad, board-certified surgeon Dr. Renata Khelemsky concluded that Cruise may have undergone some volume-restoration treatments like fat grafting (where the fat is transferred to other parts of the body, including the face) or “expertly placed dermal fillers.”
Advertisement
“This appears to have made a significant change in the midface, cheeks and under-eye areas, restoring a fuller look. The results are striking because we’re seeing the contrast between his newly volumized features and older photos where volume loss was more pronounced,” Dr. Khlemsky told InTouch Weekly. She added that if Cruise underwent any facial procedures ahead of the Super Bowl ad, they were done expertly. “He appears refreshed and more youthful, reflecting a strategic, staged approach to facial rejuvenation.”
He looked almost unrecognizable at CinemaCon 2025
Pictured here at CinemaCon 2025, Tom Cruise was almost unrecognizable in some of the press photos taken during the annual film convention in Las Vegas. Compared to his Super Bowl commercial, where he appeared fresh-faced to the point of looking AI-generated, the “Top Gun: Maverick” star looked slightly leaner and rugged — and not because of the shaggy hairdo, either (yeah, what’s up with that?). To be fair, at least one plastic surgeon doesn’t believe he’s had any work done this time around. “Rather it appears as if he has lost a lot of weight, like he cut out carbs or alcohol to slim down for the spring,” Dr. Shaher Kahn told the Daily Mail. “Before he was a bit puffy, but that is gone now.”
Advertisement
Regardless of his new look, one thing that hasn’t changed is Cruise’s incredibly youthful complexion, which Dr. Kahn and skincare expert Sinead Gallagher agreed could be the result of a popular procedure known as microdermabrasion. This minimally invasive treatment is used for addressing common skin problems like acne scars, sun spots, and wrinkles by improving skin texture using a microdermabrasion tool. Gallagher noted that Cruise may also be adhering to a medical-grade skincare routine consisting of vitamin C and retinol on top of his treatments.
“This is what we associate with youth, a fresh, healthy look and this is what men want,” Gallagher explained to The Mirror US. “My male clients do not want to look as though they’ve had work done, or look puffy with too much use of fillers.” With microdermabrasion, clients immediately see results without the hassle of long recovery time. Thus, “Microdermabrasion is the obvious and safe choice for someone like [Cruise] in the public eye,” Gallagher added.
Advertisement
