'I still can't chew.' A US talk show host got her first facelift at 48. She documented the entire thing.

As someone who's always toyed with the idea of going under the knife to flatten the bump on her nose, stories of cosmetic surgery have forever filled me with intrigue. 

And I want to hear and see EVERYTHING.

The befores. The afters. The healing. The pain. And heck, yes, the receipt. Because while I’m still on the fence about whether or not I would do it myself, I’m a total pervert for other people's procedures.

So when Catt Sadler – a former E! News host – popped up to say, ‘yes I had a facelift and here are all the details’, it was hook, line and sinker for me. And if you’ve got this far, you know you were reeled in too.

Watch: I asked 'The Doll Maker' what she'd do to my face. Post continues after video. 

Especially because the TV presenter is just 48, which might seem young for such a seemingly drastic surgery. But she’s adamant she did it for herself. 

“It’s not like I did it because I can’t get a job,” she told Glamour. “It’s not that I did it because I want my boyfriend to think I look 35. None of that was a consideration. It was more about looking in the mirror and feeling good. How I feel.”

Because when it comes to public perception, Catt said one of the best parts about getting older “is giving zero f**ks what people think of you”.

So, may I present to you, The Five Things I’ve Learned Since Catt Let The Cat Out Of The Bag.

1. Her face was physically dropping.

After getting her first taste of anti-wrinkle injectables at 35, Catt had been using the treatment to “soften fine lines” and “limit the appearance of crow’s feet”. She’d also tried fillers and microneedling.

Then, as perimenopause started, she began to notice that her skin was drooping. 

“Your lips literally just start going down because of gravity,” she explained. “So my resting face was a face of sadness or exhaustion. It didn’t really matter that I do hot yoga or that I eat really well or take my supplements. I do so much to live a healthy life but the expression of that was not coming across my face.”

So she booked in a consultation with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and came out with an appointment for the following week for a facelift, neck lift and blepharoplasty (a type of surgery that removes excess skin from the eyelids).

Catt Sadler one hour before her surgery in May. Image: Cat Saddler via Glamour.

2. The recovery was hard.

Going into the surgery, Catt had been “burning the candle at both ends” as she tried to prepare for the time out of action.

“My son was graduating, I had family flying into town, I was hosting a big party…” she said. “I was so run down and I went into the surgery with nothing left in the tank. I think it’s taking me a little longer to recover because I think I was maybe even sick during the surgery."

And while she “pushed out two kids” and isn’t “afraid of pain”, the recovery was difficult.

“I was really miserable that first week,” she explained. “Really miserable. So that was a little scary because I was really uncomfortable.” 

Catt said she has no memory of this photo being taken hours after the surgery. Image: Catt Sadler via Glamour.

3. She has to “relearn” her bite. 

In a photo from day nine post-surgery, Catt is sitting in a car with bandages wrapped around her head. “Starting to see the potential and amazed there’s no bruising!” she wrote. “Just swelling. I still can’t chew, though.”

It’s now been three weeks since the operation and Catt’s face is still adjusting to its new life while she slurps on soups and smoothies. 

“I have a little mobility in my jaw, so it’s almost like I’m relearning my bite a little,” she said. 

Listen to the hosts of Mamamia Out Loud discuss the Botox backtrack that took us by surprise. Post continues below.

“It’s been explained to me that those are the nerves reattaching and the muscles are weak, so everything’s kind of getting back to where it was. And it takes a minute for all that to get back together.”

She’s also been left with a temporary lisp. 

4. Depression is a risk factor. 

The 48-year-old said her doctor warned her that some women experience depression after their surgery.

“They look in the mirror and don’t recognise who they see,” she said. “It is a long game. You can get back to life, but don’t expect full results for even six months to a year. So there is an anxious feeling, a mildly depressed feeling. And I think I experienced that a little bit. 

“It’s not an uplifting time, let’s put it that way.”

Catt is feeling great three weeks after surgery. Image: Catt Sadler via Glamour.

5. Cat’s surgery was $58k, but she got a discount.

Ah, it pays to be famous!

While Catt said it can cost up to six figures for the three surgeries she had, her plastic surgeon charges somewhere between $44,000 to $58,000 for the facelift, neck lift and eye job.

But because she was willing to talk about it publicly, the former E! host got a “sizable discount”. 

“Even so, I still had to think if I could afford it,” she said. “One of my sons is going to college. I’m a single, independent working mum. I have my own business. So it’s not like the surgery was a no-brainer for me by any means."

Image: Catt Sadler via Glamour.