Kenny Rogers's Confirmed Eyelid Lift + Reported Facelift
Source: Nicki Swift, quoting Rogers to PEOPLE (2006) on his eyelid lift and to CBS This Morning (2012): "I regret that" · Irish Examiner, 13 October 2008: "I'm the plastic surgery king"
Quick Answer
Did Kenny Rogers regret his plastic surgery?
Yes. He told PEOPLE in 2006 he was 'not happy' with his eyelid lift, called himself 'the plastic surgery king' in 2008, and told CBS This Morning in 2012 'I regret that'. His eyelid lift is confirmed in his own words; a facelift is reported but never named in a quote we could find.
Source: DEEPPLANE™ ·
Who performs deep plane facelifts? Surgeons verified by DEEPPLANE™
These surgeons are not connected to this case.
- Dr. Ronaldo WebsterPorto Alegre, BrazilDEEPPLANE™ badge on their own website

- Dr. Hardik Doshi, FACSLong Island, USAPractice email ·

- Dr. Keshav Magge, FACSWashington DC, USAPractice email ·

- Dr. Aicee Bernal, FPAPRASManila, PhilippinesWebsite badge ·

- Dr. Prodromos PapaioannouThessaloniki, GreecePractice email ·

- Dr. Dirk KremerLondon, UKPractice email ·

Did Kenny Rogers have bad plastic surgery?
His own verdict was that the surgery went wrong. In 2006 he told PEOPLE his eyelid lift left his eyes 'too tight around the eyelids', and in 2008 he said his eyes 'were a lot warmer than they are now, and I miss that.' A facelift is widely reported but is not named in any quote of his we could find. Plastic surgeons point to his post-surgery appearance as an example of excessive tension producing an unnatural, pulled result, the outcome deep plane technique aims to avoid by lifting deep tissue instead of pulling skin. Rogers died in 2020.
Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery: The Surgery He Regretted
Kenny Rogers became one of the most public examples of a celebrity unhappy with cosmetic surgery. He said on the record that he regretted it, and the part he named was his eyes, a cautionary case frequently cited in discussions about surgical expectations.
Confirmed and His Own Assessment
- Eyelid lift (confirmed): told PEOPLE in 2006 he was "not happy about it" and that his eyes were "too tight around the eyelids"
- Facelift (reported): widely reported, and he called himself "the plastic surgery king" in 2008, but no quote of his that we could find names a facelift
- Publicly expressed regret: told CBS This Morning in 2012 "I regret that"; the change he named was his eyes
- What changed: the operated look he described is consistent with skin-pull tension affecting the eye corners and temporal region
Lessons for Patients
- The 'not looking like myself' risk: his case is cited in surgical consultations about the difference between looking refreshed (deep plane goal) vs looking different (skin-pull risk)
- Surgeon selection importance: his regret focused on choosing the wrong technique for his anatomy — the skin-pull approach that flattened features rather than repositioning them
- Deep plane technique contrast: surgeons discussing his case point to deep plane's advantage: repositioning tissue composites rather than pulling skin avoids the altered appearance he described

How to evaluate facelift results — five key checkpoints surgeons and patients should assess
Country music legend Kenny Rogers was one of the most vocal celebrities about regretting cosmetic surgery. He said on the record that his eyelid lift left his eyes too tight, and that he regretted it...
- Confirmed: eyelid lift (PEOPLE, 2006); facelift reported, not in his words
- Estimated cost: $25,000 - $50,000
- Country: USA
Country music legend Kenny Rogers was one of the most vocal celebrities about regretting cosmetic surgery. He said on the record that the work had changed his eyes, and his case has become one of the most-cited examples of celebrity plastic surgery regret and a cautionary tale about the importance of choosing the right surgeon.
What Rogers confirmed in his own words is an eyelid lift. In 2006 he told PEOPLE: "I'm not happy about it. (The surgeon) is going to go in and fix that for me. They're too tight around the eyelids for me. It drives me crazy." In 2008 he called himself "the plastic surgery king" and said "my eyes were a lot warmer than they are now, and I miss that," and in 2012 he told CBS This Morning "I regret that." A facelift is widely reported, but none of the quotes we could find names one, so this page treats it as reported, not confirmed.
From a surgical perspective, the tightness Rogers described is consistent with over-resection at the eyelids, and, if a facelift was also performed, with a skin-only facelift or a SMAS lift under excessive lateral tension. When too much skin is removed or the tissues are pulled too tightly, it can distort the natural shape of the eyes and create a "windswept" appearance. Modern deep plane techniques address this by lifting the deeper tissue layer (the SMAS and platysma) independently of the skin, allowing for natural repositioning without the over-tightened look Rogers experienced[1].
Rogers passed away in March 2020 at the age of 81, but his legacy in the cosmetic surgery conversation endures. His willingness to speak honestly about his regret has helped educate countless patients about the importance of realistic expectations, thorough surgeon research, and the value of conservative surgical approaches. His case is frequently cited by board-certified plastic surgeons when discussing the evolution of facelift techniques and why modern methods produce superior results[2].
Procedure Speculation
Peak Music Career
No confirmed cosmetic procedures. Rogers maintained his iconic bearded, warm-faced appearance through decades of country music stardom.
Eyelid Lift (Confirmed)
Told PEOPLE in 2006 that his eyes were "too tight around the eyelids" and that he was "not happy about it".
Facelift (Reported)
Estimated cost: $25,000 - $50,000. Widely reported alongside the eyelid work; not named in any quote of his that we could find.
Living with Results
In 2012 he told CBS This Morning "I regret that". He passed away in March 2020.
Key Facts
- Celebrity Age
- Deceased (2020)
- Known For
- Country music legend, The Gambler
- Procedure Status
- Confirmed: eyelid lift (PEOPLE, 2006) · Facelift: reported, not in his words
- Estimated Cost
- $25,000 - $50,000
- Recovery Time
- 2-4 weeks
- Deep Plane: Time to Second Facelift (returning patients)
- 10.9 years on average (Levin & Frankel 2026)
Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery: Country music legend Kenny Rogers said on the record that he regretted his cosmetic surgery; the procedure he named was an eyelid lift.
FAQ
Did Kenny Rogers regret his plastic surgery?
What went wrong with Kenny Rogers' surgery?
What lessons does Kenny Rogers' experience teach?
Could Kenny Rogers' results have been corrected?
How have facelift techniques improved since Kenny Rogers' procedure?
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Key Facts
Medical References
- 01Hamra ST. The deep-plane rhytidectomy. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1990;86(1):53-61(opens in new tab)(Journal Article)Accessed: 2026-03-21DOI: 10.1097/00006534-199007000-00008
- 02
- 03American Society of Plastic Surgeons - Celebrity Influence on Cosmetic Procedures(opens in new tab)(Organization)Accessed: 2026-03-21
- 04Kinney JR, Kim E, Friedman R, Bustos V, Hassell N, Elmer N, Lee BT, Lin SJ. Which Groups of Plastic Surgery Patients Are Impacted by Social Media Use? An In-Depth Review of Social Media Engagement. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2024;153(4):824e-837e(opens in new tab)(Journal Article)Accessed: 2026-08-05DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010641
- 05The Aesthetic Society - Aesthetic Plastic Surgery National Databank Statistics 2023(opens in new tab)(Organization)Accessed: 2026-03-21
- 06
- 07Nicki Swift, quoting Rogers to PEOPLE (2006) on his eyelid lift and to CBS This Morning (2012): "I regret that"(opens in new tab)(News Source)Accessed: 2026-10-03
- 08Irish Examiner, 13 October 2008: "I'm the plastic surgery king"(opens in new tab)(News Source)Accessed: 2026-10-03
Cite this pageCC-BY 4.0
DEEPPLANE™ Editorial Team (2026). Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery Before and After: Facelift?. DEEPPLANE™. Retrieved from https://deepplane.com/before-after/celebrities/kenny-rogers
DEEPPLANE™. Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery Before and After: Facelift?. deepplane.com. Updated 2026-09-10. https://deepplane.com/before-after/celebrities/kenny-rogers
DEEPPLANE™ Editorial Team. "Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery Before and After: Facelift?." DEEPPLANE™. Last modified 2026-09-10. https://deepplane.com/before-after/celebrities/kenny-rogers.
DEEPPLANE™ Editorial Team. "Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery Before and After: Facelift?." DEEPPLANE™, 2026-09-10, https://deepplane.com/before-after/celebrities/kenny-rogers.
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author = {DEEPPLANE™ Editorial Team},
title = {Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery Before and After: Facelift?},
year = {2026},
url = {https://deepplane.com/before-after/celebrities/kenny-rogers},
note = {Last modified 2026-09-10. Licensed CC-BY 4.0.},
}<a href="https://deepplane.com/before-after/celebrities/kenny-rogers">Kenny Rogers Plastic Surgery Before and After: Facelift? — DEEPPLANE™</a>
Content licensed CC-BY 4.0. Free to share with attribution to DEEPPLANE™.
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