Denise Richards is offering her most detailed look yet at the facial cosmetic procedures she underwent more than a year ago.
During the Aug. 3 episode of Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast, the actress and reality star discussed the decision behind her facelift, explaining that she originally planned to have a much smaller procedure before ultimately choosing a more comprehensive approach. Richards said the experience was intimidating at first but that she is happy with her decision.
“Originally I had been thinking about doing just my neck,” Richards explained, adding that a friend encouraged her to consider a full facelift instead.
Denise Richards Changed Her Original Plan
Richards initially felt hesitant about having facial plastic surgery because she had never undergone a procedure like it before.
She explained that, aside from “a little Botox” and filler, which she said she ultimately wasn’t pleased with, she had avoided cosmetic procedures on her face.
After consulting with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Talei and reviewing examples of his previous work, Richards decided to move forward with a complete facelift instead of only addressing her neck.
“The only analogy I could give is like you remodel a house and do one room and the room looks great, but it doesn’t match the rest of the house,” she said.
Richards recalled telling her surgeon, “You’re the artist,” after seeing the results of his previous patients.
GettyThe Actress Details Every Procedure
Richards also revealed exactly what was included in the surgery.
“He did everything,” she said. “He did the neck, the lower face, the upper, the brow lift. The only thing he didn’t do were my lower lids. He did my upper lids.”
Richards explained that the brow lift proved to be the most uncomfortable part of her recovery. She shared that she still experiences some numbness beneath her chin more than a year after the procedure.
Even so, she said she has no regrets.
“It was the best thing I did for myself,” Richards said.
Earlier this year, Richards first discussed the facelift during an interview with Allure, explaining that she wanted to restore features that had naturally changed over time. At the time, she admitted the idea of facial surgery felt “terrifying,” even though she had previously undergone breast augmentation at age 19.
According to People, Richards and Dr. Talei later shared before-and-after images of the procedure on Instagram. In the post, Dr. Talei outlined the full list of treatments, including a facelift, temporal brow lift, upper blepharoplasty, a lip lift to elevate the outer corners of the mouth and fat grafting.
He also praised Richards for trusting him with the procedure, writing that preserving her natural appearance remained a priority throughout the process.
By openly discussing her experience, Richards has continued a growing conversation about transparency surrounding cosmetic procedures. Rather than keeping the details private, she chose to explain exactly what she had done, how she made the decision and what recovery was like. Her candid comments offered fans a firsthand look at the process while emphasizing that the choice was a personal one, and she says she remains pleased with the results more than a year later.
