This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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It’s been a big couple of months for plastic surgery in the spotlight. The general public has always known that celebrities get plastic surgery — but 2025 has seemed to open a chamber of secrets when it comes to just what they’re doing and who they’re trusting to make these alterations to their bodies.
It didn’t happen overnight, though. In June 2023, the Glossy Pop Newsletter reported on the rise of surgeons on TikTok who get millions of views by speculating on what certain celebrities may or may not have done to their bodies — be it buccal fat removal, a nose job or a lower blepharoplasty.
Then, on June 3, Kylie Jenner just about broke the internet when she responded to a TikTok made specifically to ask her what she’d had done to her breasts. “Girl, please can you just tell us what it is that you asked for when you had your boobs done,” user Rachel Leary said in a post, complimenting Jenner’s work for looking “perfect” and “natural.” In return, Jenner offered up the coffee order equivalent of a boob job: “445 cc, moderate profile, half under the muscle!!! Silicone!!! Garth Fisher!!! Hope this helps lol.”
Just a few days later, on June 5, a 50-year-old woman named Michelle Wood began to document her trip to Guadalajara, where she had traveled to get a facelift. Her “before” video has been viewed over 22 million times and has over 800,000 likes. Videos documenting her impressive results and ensuing recovery process have continued to rack up millions of views.
And then, most recently, on July 29, Skims unveiled its $48 Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap, which has widely been likened to the compression garment worn by patients recovering from face lifts.
As the public becomes more aware of plastic surgery, it becomes more widely accepted. And while that means laypeople may be more informed than ever before, they are still not surgeons themselves. So this week, co-host Sara Spruch-Feiner sat down with New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Sterry to break down these pop culture moments and how they’ve impacted his day-to-day work.
But first, co-hosts Lexy Lebsack and Emily Jensen discuss industry news of the week, including changes to beauty brick-and-mortar retail, from Nordstrom’s NYC flagship’s approach to Mecca’s new 40,000-square-foot flagship in Melbourne. They also discuss the controversy immediately surrounding E.l.f. Cosmetics’ new ad featuring drag queen Heidi N Closet and comedian Matt Rife, who, in 2023, sparked outrage after he made jokes about domestic violence in his Netflix special. Commenters have flooded the brand’s TikTok and Instagram pages, and have also created their own content condemning Rife’s casting.
Below are highlights from the episode, which have been lightly edited for clarity.
On Jenner’s implant reveal
“It’s interesting how things are changing and things are evolving. I wonder how much of this we have to thank the Kardashians for. From my perspective, it’s kind of nice, right? I’m glad that people are more open and honest about it. … Well, we have people who come in. They specifically ask for 445 cc implants, because that’s what Kylie has. We get a lot of questions. They say: ‘What does it mean when the implant is half under the muscle?’ And then I have to go back and explain. … The conversations definitely are growing, and there’s no question on seeing more breast augmentation patients since June 3. … Sometimes, there’s just this assumption that so-and-so is beautiful, but maybe I’m not, or maybe she’s lucky, and she was built that way, she was born that way. But when folks recognize, ‘Wait a minute, I could have a similar look if I wanted to, and it doesn’t have to look fake; it doesn’t have to look bad.” Fortunately, we’re having people come to the fore who are looking good. … [For example] Kris Jenner’s facelift, and that sort of thing. People are more aware of good work that’s being done. And you don’t have to have that pulled-back look. You don’t have to have those ridiculous over-the-top breasts. And I think that is catching on. Folks understand that it’s up to you to modulate how extreme your results are.”
What to know about destination plastic surgery
“In general, I think most of us in the states are opposed to these destination procedures, because if there’s a problem, what are you going to do? And unfortunately, sometimes folks are attracted to the surgeon or the facility because it’s so much less expensive. I mean, it’s a different economy, right? I’m in New York City, and everything around here is crazy expensive. Sorry, that’s how it goes. But when I go to Mexico, if I’m in Guadalajara, I get a T-shirt for 50 cents. … That being said, look, there are good surgeons around the world. I mean, who are we kidding? Some of the best surgeons I know are not from the U.S. I’ve become very, very good friends with a couple of Brazilian guys. There are some Belgian surgeons I really respect. If you want facial contouring stuff, Korea is the place to be. … The problem is, how do you vet that surgeon? How do you really see them? Because when I meet [potential patients], people want to see a multitude of before-and-after photographs. Are they getting the same chance when they go to these other places? Do you know what your care is going to be like? Is there going to be a language barrier? If there’s a problem, how is it going to be solved? How are you going to contend with — and I hate to say this, but issues come up anywhere, right? Even if they’re minor, little things come up, big things come up. That’s when it’s an issue, because I can’t tell you how many times patients will call my office and say, ‘I was in Dominican Republic, and I got blah, blah, blah. Will you take care of this issue that I have?’ And it’s uncomfortable, amongst other things, [because] they don’t realize that they’re asking me to take on liability for someone else’s mistake.”
Growing his own social media following
“We just started to make good content. I try to answer questions that people come into the office asking, and I’ve always tried to give the most practical information that I can. I hope people value it. I’m not going to dance on camera. I don’t do too many goofy videos. We try to just give honest information, because we’re trying to demystify plastic surgery and help folks understand what they’re asking for, or sometimes help them understand why they shouldn’t be afraid of something. And that’s gone a long way, and it’s helped our practice quite a bit.”
