Hollywood adores a good comeback story, especially those involving stars who tumble from the heights of fame only to claw their way back up. Recently, Lindsay Lohan, at 38, appears to be scripting her own revival tale.
A comeback kiss?
Just a few years ago, Lohan was considered one of Hollywood's biggest letdowns. The former child prodigy, who starred in cinematic gems like "The Parent Trap," "Freaky Friday," and "Mean Girls" before she turned 18, lost her way and became a tabloid staple for all the wrong reasons.
Gossip columns reveled in dissecting her wardrobe choices, antics, and love life, often with a mocking tone. Public feuds with partners and fellow celebrities—like her long-running spat with Hilary Duff over both dating Aaron Carter, who has since passed—didn't help her image, nor did her multiple arrests for drunk driving.
By her late teens, Lohan was struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, spending significant time in rehab, often by court order. She was repeatedly caught driving under the influence, becoming a regular in the courtroom. She was jailed twice: first for a brief 84 minutes, and then for about two and a half weeks.
"I know it's hard being followed everywhere, but these are the choices you've made," a judge told her in 2012. "Try to live your life more maturely. Stop clubbing and focus on your work."
Her career took a nosedive along with her personal life—her films flopped one after another, critics panned her performances, and she didn't help her cause by arriving late to sets or not showing up at all, clashing with directors, causing delays, and creating drama behind the scenes instead of in front of the camera.
Thankfully, things seem to have turned around recently. First, she got married and became a mother. After a period of sparse work, she signed a deal with Netflix for several films she will both star in and produce. Soon, she is expected to make what many hope will be her major comeback with a sequel to "Freaky Friday," reuniting with her on-screen mom Jamie Lee Curtis.
Speculation suggests Lohan is using her Netflix deal to prove to major studios that she has turned her life around and can be relied upon to deliver quality work and draw audiences.
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Lohan's evolution
(Photo: Santa Monica Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via Getty Images)
And of course, it has to be said: she looks fantastic. After appearing at the premiere of her new film "Our Little Secret" last week, fans were stunned. "I'm obsessed with Lindsay Lohan's glamorous look," tweeted one enthusiastic fan, while another agreed, "She's glowing tonight!"
Another commenter wrote, "I need to drink whatever Lindsay's drinking," while someone else wondered, "Who's the surgeon behind Lindsay's face?"
The Daily Mail investigated what treatments Lohan might have recently undergone for such a dramatic and successful makeover. Dr. Jonathan Sykes suggested she likely addressed pigmentation issues and problematic skin texture that plagued her in recent years, noting she might have had subtle Botox treatments.
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With veteran actress Jamie Lee Curtis
(Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
He also speculated she might have had a nose job. "Although her nose was always beautiful, its perfection in recent photos indicates she might have done something to it," he said.
Dr. Johnny Batridge speculates she underwent more procedures: a facelift, eyelid surgery, a nose job, brow lift, Botox, lip fillers, veneers, laser treatments, and dermatological care. "The total cost of all this would range between $200,000 to $300,000," he estimates.
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Regardless of what she's done, fans are praising her. "The plastic surgery she had is fantastic! She should promote her surgeon," and "It's amazing, she looks great," were just two of the many effusive tweets about the star.
It's worth noting, however, that Lindsay claims it's all due to good old-fashioned creams and facial cleansing. "I just take care of my skin," she explained.
It's still too early to say if Lohan is truly on her way to a successful comeback, but for now, it seems she has regained the public and media's favor. The makeover was a success; now we wait to see if her career will follow suit.