I know Zac Efron’s face like the back of my hand. One of the most formative moments in my life was sitting down to watch the premiere of High School Musical when I was six years old. Something in little me awakened, and I fell in love for the first time. Those smooth dance moves. Those ridiculously choreographed basketball games. Zac’s passionate fake singing. I haven’t been the same since. My feelings for this beautiful man only intensified with the next two High School Musicals, the Hairspray movie, and 17 Again, of course. I was never a diehard One Direction or 5SOS girl —it was Zac or no one.

So yes, I’ve obviously noticed that his face has looked a bit different at certain times over the last couple years. Just the other day, I watched Zac’s latest movie, A Family Affair, on Netflix and observed that he didn’t look entirely like himself. I’ll admit it: I’ve wondered myself if he’s ever gotten plastic surgery. After all… it is Hollywood. But the real reason why Zac’s face actually changed is a lot more serious and disturbing.

Here’s everything Zac’s revealed about his face changing.

What Happened To Zac Efron’s Face?

What Happened To Zac Efron’s Jaw?

The High School Musical star had a really traumatic accident back in November 2013. He was running around with socks on in his house when he slipped and wound up with his face caught on the corner of a granite fountain. (Celeb home things.) Zac fainted and woke up to his chin bone literally hanging off his face, per Men’s Health. ‘Scuse me while I go vomit.

For a long time, he was seeing a physical therapist to help all parts of his face function properly, but he took a break from that in 2021 while filming season 2 of his Netflix series, Down to Earth. That’s when fans first noticed the difference and started speculating about what work the actor might’ve had done. “It was funny,” Zac deadpanned to Entertainment Tonight about the accident in a September 2022 interview. “It sucks. I almost died, but we’re good.”

Family Affair was notably filmed from August to October 2022 — not too long after he took a break from physical therapy for his jaw.

Has Zac Efron Had Plastic Surgery?

After watching Family Affair, fans are once again wondering if Zac’s undergone cosmetic procedures. The actor has previously denied those rumors and cited his accident as the reason for his face transformation. He apparently didn’t even realize how different his face looked until his mom actually called him up to ask if he got plastic surgery.

“If I valued what other people thought of me to the extent that they may think I do, I definitely wouldn’t be able to do this work,” he told Men’s Health. Zac, you’ll always be my No. 1 celeb crush, and I hope your jaw is thriving 💗.