Hollywood superstar Dakota Johnson is undoubtedly one of the world’s best-known faces.
But fans reacted in shock this week when a clip of the actress behind the scenes on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon went viral — claiming she was almost unrecognisable.
In the video, watched more than 2.7million times on TikTok, Dakota, 35, is seen with refreshed under eyes and glowing skin.
On social media, some quipped she must have had a blepharoplasty—eyelid surgery that gently lifts and refreshes the eye area.
Others even claimed it wasn’t even her, suggesting ‘she doesn’t look like Dakota’, ‘nope, that’s not Dakota’ and ‘she looks different, everyone in Hollywood is looking different’.
The clip also sparked fresh speculation the How To Be Single actress may have had other cosmetic tweakments to enhance her appearance.
The actress who recently split with Coldplay rocker Chris Martin, 48, has never admitted to going under the knife.
But doctors have weighed in, suggesting her transformation is likely a result of a handful of subtle facial procedures.
Fans reacted in shock this week when a clip of the actress behind the scenes on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon went viral — claiming she was almost unrecognisable
In the video, watched more than 2.7million times on TikTok , Dakota, 35, is seen with refreshed under eyes and glowing skin. On social media, some quipped she must have had a blepharoplasty—eyelid surgery that gently lifts and refreshes the eye area
Doctors have weighed in, suggesting her transformation is likely a result of a handful of subtle facial procedures. Pictured, Dakota in 2019
Dr Paul Banwell, a Sussex-based award-winning consultant plastic and cosmetic surgeon, told MailOnline: ‘She may have had a conservative upper blepharoplasty procedure.
‘Her eyes look bright and youthful, but we have to take other variables into account such as ageing, makeup, and other procedures. I think she looks awesome.
An upper blepharoplasty involves removing excess skin or fat from the upper eyelid area to tighten the skin and change the look or hooded or droopy eyelids.
Typically a 45 minute to hour long procedure, it is performed under anesthesia.
‘As you age, your eyelids’ skin stretches, and the muscles supporting them weaken,’ Dr Banwell said.
‘As a result, excess fat present around the eye may push forward causing droopy upper lids and bulging.
‘Besides the ageing effect, the sagging or drooping skin can actually reduce your vision and cause problems with your visual fields.’
But Mr Kshem Yapa, a London-based consultant plastic surgeon specialising in facial surgery and rhinoplasty, told MailOnline that while Dakota’s eyes ‘look rejuvenated’, it is ‘not obvious that she’s had an upper blepharoplasty’.
On social media, users even claimed it wasn’t even her, suggesting ‘she doesn’t look like Dakota’, ‘nope, that’s not Dakota’ and ‘she looks different, everyone in Hollywood is looking different’
The actress who recently split with Coldplay rocker Chris Martin, 48, has never admitted to going under the knife. Pictured in 2023
Instead, she may have had ‘volume replacement in her lower eyelids, such as filler but more likely modest facial fat grafting’, he added.
He added: ‘There seems to be a little bit of improvement in skin quality in the lower eyelid and this is unlikely to be just from a blepharoplasty.’
Facial fat grafting, also known as facial fat transfer or lipofilling, involves fat being harvested from one area of the body and injected into the face to restore volume, reduce wrinkles, and improve contours.
Earlier this year, in its annual trends report, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery revealed that facial plastic surgeons reported a 50 percent rise in the average number of fat grafting procedures performed in 2024.
This trend, the Academy noted, was ‘likely fuelled’ by patients who wanted to restore lost volume and sculpt or tighten different areas of the face.
Mr Yapa added: ‘I don’t think she’s had any major surgery, it’s really good subtle work, likely non-surgical.
‘She seems to be a little bit slimmer in the cheeks specifically and this could be just from weight loss.
‘Of course, buccal fat reduction can be done modestly to give some slimming to the face and this is possible.’
Earlier this year, in its annual trends report, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery revealed that facial plastic surgeons reported a 50 percent rise in the average number of fat grafting procedures performed in 2024. Pictured, Dakota in 2019
Mr Kshem Yapa, a London-based consultant plastic surgeon specialising in facial surgery and rhinoplasty, told MailOnline that while the How To Be Single star’s eyes ‘look rejuvenated’, it is ‘not obvious that she’s had an upper blepharoplasty’. Pictured, at the film’s premiere in 2016
Vienna-based dermatologist and aesthetic doctor Dr Alma Kamenica, also said she could not be certain Fifty Shades Darker star Dakota had definitely undergone an upper blepharoplasty.
But she added: ‘Her lips also appear fuller compared to earlier years, which could point to the use of lip filler to gently enhance volume while maintaining her natural look.
‘Her nose might have undergone a slight refinement early in her career, perhaps a soft adjustment to the tip or bridge that complements her delicate features.
‘Her skin now looks incredibly smooth and radiant, with a more even tone and texture, something that suggests she may have benefited from advanced treatments like skin tightening devices such as Morpheus8 Burst.
‘These treatments can dramatically enhance the skin’s overall glow and firmness.’
Online, other medical professionals also speculated Dakota could have undergone dental work in recent years.
Sharing photos of the star prior to 2019, US-based prosthodontist Dr Sara Hahn, told her 156,000 TikTok followers she clearly had a space in between her teeth, known as a diastema.
‘It doesn’t look like veneers but I do think composite bonding has been done or reshaping of the front teeth because we went from a very flat to a very curved appearance,’ she added.
Dakota has never confirmed if she has undergone any procedures.
But in a revealing conversation with Glamour magazine in 2017 about her skincare regime, she said: ‘I buy a bunch of products but end up not using any of them. I just like the way they look.
‘I truly have the simplest routine: I wash my face in the morning and at night, then moisturise, during the day I add sunscreen.’