If you saw The Weeknd’s face plastered across the internet looking like a botched plastic surgery experiment, you weren’t alone in your confusion. Honestly, it was a lot to take in. One day he’s the "Starboy," and the next, he’s showing up to the American Music Awards wrapped in more gauze than a mummy.
Then came the "Save Your Tears" video.
The internet absolutely melted down. People were genuinely asking if Abel Tesfaye had actually gone under the knife to get those ballooned-out cheekbones and that jagged, "Handsome Squidward" jawline. It looked permanent. It looked painful. But here’s the thing: it was all a lie. Well, a creative lie.
The Mystery of The Weeknd New Face Explained
Abel didn't actually get plastic surgery. He didn't ruin his face.
The "new face" everyone was obsessing over was actually the work of Mike Marino, a legendary prosthetic designer at Prosthetic Renaissance. This is the same guy who turns Heidi Klum into an alien or a worm for Halloween. For The Weeknd, he created four distinct prosthetic appliances that were glued onto Abel's face to mimic the look of extreme cosmetic work.
We're talking:
- Severely puffed-up cheek implants.
- A crooked, "refined" nose bridge.
- Scars across the cheeks.
- Lip fillers that looked like they were about to pop.
It was performance art. Plain and simple.
Why the Bandages and the "Bad" Surgery?
The whole 2020-2021 era—which fans call the After Hours era—was basically a long-form movie. Abel played a character. This character starts out having a wild, drug-fueled night in Las Vegas (seen in "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights"), gets into a fight, gets his nose broken, and eventually descends into the "absurdity" of Hollywood culture.
In an interview with Variety, Abel basically admitted he was trolling the industry. He said the bandages and the fake surgery were a reflection on the "absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity." He was poking fun at people who manipulate their bodies for superficial reasons just to be validated by strangers.
He didn't care about being "attractive." He cared about the narrative.
"Being attractive isn't important to me, but a compelling narrative is," Abel told Variety.
It’s a pretty bold move for a pop star at the height of his career to spend a year looking like a car crash victim. Most artists want to look their best. Abel wanted to look like a cautionary tale.
The Evolution: From Bloody Nose to Old Man
If you think the "plastic surgery" was weird, remember what came next.
For the Dawn FM era in 2022, Abel didn't go back to his "normal" face immediately. He aged himself 40 years. He traded the red suit for a grey beard, liver spots, and deep wrinkles. Again, this was all prosthetics.
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The theme was "purgatory." He wanted to look like he had been stuck in a time loop, listening to a late-night radio station hosted by Jim Carrey. It was eerie, but it served the music. By the time he hit the stage for his world tour, the "old man" mask was gone, but the message remained: The Weeknd isn't a person; he's a costume that Abel Tesfaye wears.
What’s Happening Now in 2026?
As we move into the Hurry Up Tomorrow era, the "new face" conversation has shifted again. This is reportedly the final album under the name "The Weeknd."
The visuals for this chapter are much more raw. The album cover for Hurry Up Tomorrow features Abel’s face looking blistered and scarred, almost like he’s been through fire. It’s less about "bad surgery" now and more about a metaphorical rebirth. He’s shedding the "Weeknd" persona to just be Abel.
In the film accompanying the album, we see him looking at himself in a mirror, holding back tears. There are no more bandages. No more "Handsome Squidward" cheeks. Just a man who looks like he’s finally done with the games.
Why People Still Think It Was Real
Even now, you'll find people on Reddit or TikTok convinced he had a "minor" nose job or some chin fillers that stayed. They point to "before and after" photos from 2011 versus 2026.
Look, people change.
Abel lost weight. He got older. He changed his hair about five times. When you lose facial fat, your jawline looks sharper. When you’re 35, you don’t look like you did when you were 21 recording House of Balloons.
While he hasn't explicitly denied every single cosmetic procedure in history, the "extreme" look that started the rumors was 100% temporary. The prosthetics were removed at the end of every shoot.
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Actionable Takeaway for Fans
If you’re trying to track the timeline of his "faces," don’t look at the tabloid rumors. Look at the music videos.
- Broken Nose/Bandages: After Hours (The Vegas Night).
- Extreme Plastic Surgery: "Save Your Tears" (The Hollywood Critique).
- The Elderly Look: Dawn FM (The Purgatory).
- The Scarred/Natural Look: Hurry Up Tomorrow (The Rebirth).
The "new face" wasn't a medical mistake—it was a mid-career masterpiece in branding. It forced us to look at how we consume celebrity culture and how much we value "perfection" over art.
Next Steps for Readers:
Check out the work of Mike Marino and Prosthetic Renaissance on Instagram. Seeing the behind-the-scenes molds of Abel’s face proves just how much detail went into the "Save Your Tears" look. If you’re still curious about his transition from "The Weeknd" to "Abel," watch the Hurry Up Tomorrow trailer to see the visual cues he’s using to close this decade-long chapter.