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Did Ellen Pompeo Get Plastic Surgery? Photos of the Stunning ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Over the Years

Did Ellen Pompeo get plastic surgery? The actress rose to fame on the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy and has played Dr. Meredith Grey for a whopping 19 seasons. Understandably, Ellen looks much different today than when she first started on Grey’s — but is it possible the reason for her changing looks is the result of surgery?

Ellen denied having any work done to her face during a 2020 appearance on Dax Shepard‘s “Armchair Expert” podcast.

“I think the overall goal of my life is to always keep my ego in check,” she said. “I don’t want to tell myself lies. I don’t lie about my age. I don’t put anything in my face. I don’t want to tell myself any lies, I’m not doing myself any favors.”

However, the Boston native revealed that it had been difficult to watch herself grow older throughout the 17 years she spent on Grey’s at the time.

“I do not want to be the grapes dying on the vine,” Ellen explained. “Already, to watch myself age from 33 to 50 now on screen — that’s not so fun. You really see it because I’m in the same clothes, I’m in the same character. So, the way I see myself aging is, you know, that’s a motherfker.”

Ellen had previously spoken out candidly about aging in Hollywood and the influence it has had on her career.

“Watching myself age on TV is miserable. To be honest, it’s the toughest part of my job,” she admitted to People in 2016. “But as uncomfortable as watching myself age is, I don’t think focusing on physical beauty is necessarily the best thing for your mind. It’s a natural thing that we all do, but I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing. The older you get, the more you realize life isn’t about your looks. Everyone ages, and it’s OK.”

Ellen has credited diligent attention to facial care for keeping wrinkles away. “I don’t love fillers or Botox, so I have to get a lot of facials and drink a ton of water. I feel like the frequency facial makes a difference in my skin — it makes it tighter,” she told New Beauty in 2019.

“I think if we want our skin to look right and we want to be beautiful, we have to feel great by eating right and taking care of ourselves from the inside first,” Ellen explained about her secret to great skin during an accompanying video for the article. The ABC star also noted that she uses “cruelty-free” beauty products that are “absent of chemicals.”

As for going under the knife,  the actress said that working on Grey’s has shaped her view of plastic surgery.

“I think the show has given me perspective on a lot of health related issues and although surgeons are brilliant and they’re really good at what they do for the most part, surgery is a serious thing,” the TV doctor explained

Click through the gallery below to see Ellen’s changing look over the years!