How to banish ugly bulging forehead veins like Robert Pattinson’s: Facial surgeons reveal easy fixes WITHOUT going under knife
Hollywood heartthrob Robert Pattinson has delighted fans with a recent slew of promotional appearances for his upcoming A24 film, The Drama.
As such, the Twilight actor, 39, appeared on the famed French television show Quotidien with his The Drama co-star, Zendaya, on March 25.
During his appearance, however, some fans online couldn’t help but point out a noticeable feature on Pattison’s face – that is, a prominent vein on his forehead.
‘Why does his forehead look so veiny,’ one user wrote on X in response to a photo of Pattinson on the television program.
‘Is his Botox shifting or something?’ another person quipped.
A third fan responded, ‘Not y’all pointing out the vein on his forehead like Zendaya.’
Robert Pattinson, 39, has recently received attention online for the appearance of his pronounced forehead vein
The actor told Jimmy Kimmel that his co-star Zendaya joked about his vein just moments before they presented at the 2026 Academy Awards
Indeed, this wasn’t the first time that Pattinson’s forehead vein has been brought to the public’s attention.
At the 2026 Oscars earlier this month, the actor appeared on stage with Zendaya to present the award for Best Director. He later revealed to late night host Jimmy Kimmel that just before they presented the award, Zendaya made a comment about the bulging vein in his forehead, which gave him even further pre-show jitters.
When asked by Kimmel if he ‘hated’ presenting at the Oscars, Pattinson acknowledged that his ‘anxiety’ has become worse over the years.
‘Any kind of public appearance now, for some reason my anxiety just gets worse and worse and worse,’ he told Kimmel.
‘Everything was fine and then Zendaya said to me just before we went on stage, she was like, “The vein in your forehead is really popping out right now.”‘
The pair were immediately directed to the stage, to which Pattinson explained he spent their entire segment trying to calm himself down.
‘I was literally, the entire time, I was trying to calm myself down,’ he said.
Pattinson is definitely not alone when it comes to struggling with anxiety, which experts say can affect the appearance of veins in the face.
Pattinson said his ‘anxiety’ has become worse during public appearances over the years
That’s why the Daily Mail asked facial plastic surgeons to weigh in on the appearance of forehead veins and how best to treat the common condition.
These doctors did not treat Pattinson, but looked at photos of the star for any noticeable features.
According to double-board certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Anil Shah, who has practices in New York City and Chicago, Pattinson’s prominent forehead vein is likely caused by a combination of three factors.
He explained that the appearance of veins can become more prominent as we age, noting that the skin becomes thinner and may reveal the veins underneath as we get older.
‘Aging can cause generalized atrophy of skin and tissues making veins appear more prominent,’ Dr. Shah told the Daily Mail.
He also suggested that Pattinson may have undergone a physical transformation for his role in the upcoming Dune: Part Three film.
A recent teaser trailer for Dune: Part Three showed Pattinson looking unrecognizable as the new villain Scytale, a shapeshifting alien who can adopt the appearance of anybody he sees.
Instead of his classically handsome looks, Pattinson appeared in the trailer with pale white skin, chopped white hair and bleached eyebrows.
‘When you lose significant subcutaneous fat, your facial veins are going to be much more prominent,’ Dr. Shah said.
‘Low weight causes dermal fat atrophy, which makes the forehead look paler rather than a healthier color due to the yellow fat that normally resides there. Also, with low weight typically comes lower protein intake, which is often correlated with decreased dermal thickness.’
Although Pattinson has not confirmed whether he lost weight for his role of Scytale, it wouldn’t be the first time the actor has stuck to a diet regimen in preparation for a movie.
In a 2023 interview with ES Magazine, Pattinson admitted he has tried practically ‘every fad’ diet throughout his acting career.
‘I have basically tried every fad you can think of, everything except consistency,’ he said at the time.
‘I tried to do keto once. I was like, “Oh, there’s a diet where you just eat charcuterie boards and cheese all the time?” But I didn’t realize that you can’t have beer as it completely defeats the purpose,’ Pattinson joked.
He even admitted to once following a ‘detox’ diet of nothing but boiled potatoes for two weeks.
‘I once ate nothing but potatoes for two weeks, as a detox. Just boiled potatoes and Himalayan pink salt. Apparently it’s a cleanse… you definitely lose weight,’ Pattinson said.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, experts weighed in on the appearance of forehead veins and how best to treat the common condition
Back in 2016, Pattinson told People that he slimmed down to a 28-inch waist by eating nothing but ‘half a little tiny bit of fish and like a crumb of rice’ while filming The Lost City of Z that year.
He also told the outlet in 2022 that while filming The Batman, his diet was so restrictive that he was ‘counting sips of water’ before his shirtless scenes.
‘I had about three months before the movie started, and then you’re working out before and after work all the time,’ Pattinson said. ‘You just cut down and cut down and cut down before the couple of scenes with your shirt off.’
When it comes to the appearance of veins, there are many cosmetic treatments that have been growing in popularity.
In a 2018 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the reality TV family discussed sclerotherapy – a non-surgical treatment to minimize the appearance of ‘spider veins’ or varicose veins.
Family matriarch Kris Jenner was seen recommending sclerotherapy to her daughter Khloé Kardashian to fix her varicose veins, saying the minimally invasive procedure ‘really hurts, but really works.’
Kim Kardashian also shocked fans in 2022 when she uploaded a video of her dermatologist, Dr. Simon Ourian, injecting a needle into her skin to treat the appearance of her pronounced veins.
The specialist said on Instagram he had used a dual modality laser and sclerotherapy, which involves injecting a chemical solution into the skin to fade the appearance of veins.
Kim Kardashian (left) and Kris Jenner (right) discussed sclerotherapy for the appearance of veins on their hit reality TV show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians
However, Dr. Shah advised against using sclerotherapy for treating veins in the forehead, as he shared the potential risk factors for such an injection site.
‘Sclerotherapy is not my favorite here as the veins in the central portion of the face are valveless and can cause an embolus to the eyes or brain, leading to either blindness or a stroke,’ he said.
‘Surgical removal is also an option of last resort but not recommended as veins will typically return in some format,’ he added.
Instead, Dr. Shah suggested that laser treatment is best to reduce the appearance of forehead veins because it is non-invasive.
It is also no secret that some celebrities in Hollywood have developed a predilection to Botox and other cosmetic fillers injected to the face.
However, experts agreed that a quick and easy fix like Botox or dermal injections won’t be able to help treat the appearance of veins in this case.
Dr. Steven Pearlman, a dual-board certified facial and reconstructive plastic surgeon in New York City, told the Daily Mail, ‘Botox treats muscles by impeding contraction. It blocks the signal chemical that goes from what are called motor nerves to muscles. There are no muscles, even microscopic ones around veins.’
He also said it is unlikely that past cosmetic facial treatments or injectables could worsen the appearance of veins down the line, adding, ‘Enlarged veins are not usually associated with Botox or filler treatments.’
