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Disneyland is known for a lot of things: the Happiest Place on Earth.
Courtesy of Catt Sadler
A place to walk 20,000 steps a day.
A place to buyoverpriced Dole Whip.
But forCatt Sadler, its also a place to forge deep conversations while waiting in 75-minute lines.
Catt Sadler attends the 2022Vanity FairOscar Party, where she has been cohosting the livestream for the past few years.
My youngest, Arion, was like, Okay, cool.
Youre going to feel good about yourself.
Knock yourself out, Mom.
“Surgery Eve, May 21. The last photo of me before,” Sadler says.
He was very supportive.
Austin, whos 22, was a little more inquisitive: Why would you do that?
The idea of a surgery to him is very scary.
“Day of surgery: May 22. One hour prior, and the ‘mapping of face,’” Sadler says prior to the operation.
And they were like, No, were good.
They were really sweet and supportive.
I think it was more top of mind when I was on TV every day.
“Home from surgery and recovering in bed at 5 p.m. I have no memory of this photo—heavy anesthesia, plus pain meds.”
If anything, its clear to me that Sadler wanted to do this for her personal well-being.
Its not that I did it because I want my boyfriend to think I look 35.
None of that was a consideration.
“Day 2. I’m highly uncomfortable here…on the way to the doc to get blood drains removed, which remove excess blood and fluid.”
It was more about looking in the mirror and feeling good.
She knows that there will be some people who think shes too young for this kind of surgery.
But she doesnt care.
“Day 6; removal of most of stitches from eyes and ears.”
And really just more questions about what to expect and how bad it had hurt and all this stuff.
So thats been nice.
Why not be transparent?
“Day 6, after stitches removal, and officially off hydrocodone. I’m starting to feel like myself. Also, washing my hair was the best day of my life. It was not until I got the staples out, which was nearly a week after the surgery.”
Why not inform women about what it can be like?
She certainly didnt have to be this transparent, but thats who Catt Sadler is.
And frankly, we wouldn’t want her to be anything else.
“Day 9. Starting to see the potential and amazed there’s no bruising! Just swelling. I still can’t chew, though, and I have limited jaw mobility.”
Surgery Eve, May 21.
The last photo of me before, Sadler says.
Glamour: Youre 48 and just had a facelift, a neck lift, and blepharoplasty.
“Day 14: Two weeks postsurgery! I think I went for coffee with my boyfriend and actually left the house!”
What was your approach to aging before this surgery?
Ive done a little bit of filler over time.
I didnt doBotoxfor the first time until I was 35, so this is all in the last decade-plus.
“Day 15. All stitches and staples had been removed at this point.”
I am such a fan of beauty treatments.
Ive also done microneedling.
I definitely sought it out as a way to improve my looks.
“Three weeks later, light makeup, no filter.”
I had two kids, I was in my mid-30s.
I was on TV every day.
And so I was like, Oh, you mean I can soften these fine lines?
Courtesy of Catt Sadler
Or, Oh, I can limit the appearance of my crows-feet?
It was like, Why wouldnt I do that?
So I had such a good experience with it.
But I wanted to always approach it really conservatively and not look frozen.
I speak for a living.
I want my eyes to move.
And luckily, I think I always was able to maintain that.
Was there anything you tried along the way that you werent happy with?
I remember getting filler underneath my eyes seven or eight years ago.
I was really hollow under my eyes, and I was really thin at the time.
I looked like I hadnt slept in months, so I thought filler would fix that.
But Ive never gotten filler under my eyes since because its really painful.
I dont need to do that again.
When I had it done, they go in your cheek and stick the needle all the way up.
I just remember it hurting really badly.
Those are those moments when youre like, Wait, why do I care about vanity?
Because in that moment its not nice.
All the parts of getting older were really kind of tumbling down on me personally.
Why arent people talking about it?
So that kind of launched a lot of content-driven interest about midlife in general.
For instance, what do we need to know about hormone replacement therapy?
What are the upsides?
What are the downsides?
But along with the health part came the physical vanity aging piece.
Our bodies are changing, our asses are sagging, our faces are losing volume.
How does that make you feel as a woman?
How does that affect your relationships?
I was like, Why do I look so tired?
Or why in photos do I look sad?
And your lips literally just start going down because of gravity.
So my resting face was a face of sadness or exhaustion.
It didnt really matter that I do hot yoga.
Or that I eat really well.
Or take my supplements.
I knew Botox wasnt going to fix my sagging face and my little chicken neck.
I was like, What can I do?
My mother had a facelift when she was 54, but this was like 25 years ago.
I booked a consultation to see what he thought.
I really did not go in there saying, I want to get a facelift.
I told him what was bothering me, mainly the jowly sagginess in photos.
It was like everything was pooling right around the lower half of my face and neck.
I was like, Oh, shit!
I didnt really expect him to say that would be what can fix that.
But I dont know why I was being so naive either.
I can understand why.
We dont expect to hear that suggested to us in our 40s.
And thats what I said.
I was like, Oh wow.
He was like, Catt, theres actually no better time.
The before and afters are going to be pretty drastic.
Its like youre going from looking of a certain age to suddenly snatched.
So he was like, I think at this age we can still achieve a really natural look.
Itll hold you for another 10 to 12 years.
You heal a little quicker.
The cellular health is just going to do its part a little bit better the younger you are.
We talked through what recovery would look like, because that was a huge consideration, obviously.
How long would I be out of the game?
I have to work.
My kids are graduating.
I also talked to my boyfriend because I wanted to double-check he wasnt going to freak out.
And I talked to my mom, consulted with some friends.
What did your agents or managers say when you approached them to let them know about the surgery?
I certainly didnt ask permission.
But I did give them a heads-up that Im going to be MIA for a little bit.
When are you back in commission?
Cant wait to see.
Im kind of past needing the endorsement of others to conduct my life.
No, I was excited, actually.
I got excited because I thought, Oh, there is a fix.
Its available to me.
Two to three weeks downtime.
And so I got excited with the hope of it.
I immediately went into the Go on this journey with me vibe and…I was ignited with enthusiasm.
Day of surgery: May 22.
One hour prior, and the mapping of face, Sadler says prior to the operation.
And yet you want to put it out there now, which I find refreshing.
You dont want people speculating.
I did have to consider that, because of course that went through my mind.
I was like, What are people going to think?
Whos going to judge me?
I was like, Why not be transparent?
Why not inform women about what it can be like?
And so, yeah, I really dont have many reservations about putting it all out there.
Do you think theoverwhelmingly positive responseyou got from your very public exit fromE!
Newsin 2017 empowered you to be more honest about things and how you want to live your life?
I just feel like you cannot lose if youre telling the truth.
And that applies to everything.
It applies to your job, your profession, your relationships.
It pertains to everything.
So yes, thats why I see this as a step in my own power.
So I think, Whats available to us today?
And maybe Ill take advantage of that.
And then by the way, Ill tell the truth about it.
What that does is help move the needle for other people to feel less alone and more empowered.
It doesnt even have to be something as big as plastic surgery.
I mean, probably a week later.
The surgery was then booked for May 22.
I think I got there at 6:30 that morning and I left at 1:30 in the afternoon.
I was burning the candle at both ends because I was stacking my work in advance.
My son was graduating.
I had family flying into town.
I was hosting a big party.
I had flown to Houston to host something for the United Way.
I was so rundown, and I went into the surgery with nothing left in the tank.
Home from surgery and recovering in bed at 5 p.m.
I have no memory of this photoheavy anesthesia, plus pain meds.
I have, I think, a really high pain tolerance.
I pushed out two kids.
Im not afraid of pain.
But I was really miserable that first week.
So that was a little scary because I was really uncomfortable.
But you have to do a lot of medical clearance leading up to the surgery.
They were trying to impress upon me the gravity of this surgery, which I appreciate.
It sounds kind of overwhelming.
I just kept trying to focus on how, in six months, its going to look great.
Im going to feel so good.
This is a gift to myself.
Im going to be so happy.
Im not going to use this many filters on Instagram.
All those little things.
“Day 6; removal of most of stitches from eyes and ears.
Day 6, after stitches removal, and officially off hydrocodone.
Im starting to feel like myself.
Also, washing my hair was the best day of my life.
It was not until I got the staples out, which was nearly a week after the surgery.
Starting to see the potential and amazed theres no bruising!
I still cant chew, though, and I have limited jaw mobility.
Its been three weeks since surgery.
How has the recovery been after those first few rough days?
I have a little mobility in my jaw, so its almost like Im relearning my bite a little.
And it takes a minute for all that to get back together.
Soups for a week, smoothies for a week, mashed potatoes, oatmeal.
It was a solid week of no solids.
And Im still not 100%.
But Im not alarmed about it because every day Im improving, and theres been no infections.
But all the more reason why Im trying to take care of myself and not get rundown.
They look in the mirror and dont recognize who they see.
It is a long game.
So there is an anxious feeling, a mildly depressed feeling.
And I think I experienced that a little bit.
Its not an uplifting time, lets put it that way.
Day 14: Two weeks postsurgery!
I think I went for coffee with my boyfriend and actually left the house!
All stitches and staples had been removed at this point.
The swelling is way down.
I was like, OK, now we just got to heal.
The actual muscles in your face are also moved.
It kind of is.
Otherwise, your scars are more visible and I didnt want that.
Lets talk about the cost of something like this.
It is a major commitment.
The cost is major.
Its a major life investment.
Its like a car or a down payment on a house.
I got a sizable discount because I am talking about it publicly and I am sharing all my photos.
And even so, I still had to think if I could afford it, even with the discount.
One of my sons is going to college.
Im a single, independent, working mom.
I have my own business.
So its not like the surgery was a no-brainer for me by any means.
Three weeks later, light makeup, no filter.
So when you look in the mirror now, how do you feel?
I feel like myself, which is good.
I know its going to settle with each day.
So I feel really good.
I feel like I did the right thing.
I feel like, Wow, I cant believe that this is possible.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
