Mickey Rourke's health battles explored after past plastic surgery revelations 

Actor and former boxer Mickey Rourke has been candid about the medical procedures and plastic surgeries that he has undergone in the past. The 72-year-old, who just entered the Celebrity Big Brother in the show’s 24th season, stunned fans with his unrecognizably different looks.

However, Rourke is known for appearing in public with visible changes to his face over the years. Fans have noted that Rourke appears to have undergone major changes in appearance.

The actor, in a 2009 conversation with the Daily Mail, had shared that he had undergone multiple procedures to repair his facial structure, according to People Magazine. Rourke, who had undergone six procedures on his nose and cheekbone at the time, said,

“Most of it was to mend the mess of my face because of the boxing. But I went to the wrong guy to put my face back together. I had my nose broken twice. I had five operations on my nose and one on a smashed cheekbone. I had to have cartilage taken from my ear to rebuild my nose and a couple of operations to scrape out the cartilage because the scar tissue wasn’t healing properly.”

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Mickey Rourke’s boxing career and injuries

Mickey Rourke began a career in amateur boxing during his teenage years, when he achieved an impressive 27 wins and only 3 losses, per the Daily Mail.

According to The Guardian, Rourke retired from amateur boxing in 1972 after suffering two concussions.

Soon after, Rourke’s Hollywood career picked up, and he worked with notable filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola in 1941 and Rumble Fish, respectively. The Guardian reported that Rourke left his Hollywood career in 1990 to become a professional boxer.

However, Rourke’s career change left him dealing with a host of injuries, including a broken nose, injuries to his tongue and cheekbone, and memory loss, reported the Daily Mail.

During a conversation with Interview Magazine, Rourke was asked whether he wore protective headgear during his fights. Rourke responded,

“I wore it most of the time, but lots of times I didn’t. Then, I think it was around my 11th fight, I started having some memory-loss issues. I took a neurological exam, and they said, ‘Well, you should stop fighting now.’”

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Mickey Rourke’s surgeries and health challenges

In 2017, Mickey Rourke took to Instagram to report that he had had another surgery on his nose, with one more to go. Alongside an image of his doctor, he wrote,

“Moments after "" nose surgery with Dr. Dhir. Now i am ""pretty again ":(lol)...one more to go ""I don't know what day it is don't even realize operation is over.”

Rourke posted another update about his health in 2022, when he told fans he was about to head for an MRI. Rourke wrote,

“Ready to do MRI tube,i’ve done it many times over the years for concussions…Gotta make sure ‘the head isn’t scrambled eggs’”

Rourke, who had returned to acting by 1997, also struggled with transforming himself physically for a role in The Wrestler. In 2024, Rourke revealed that he regrets undergoing extreme physical transformation for the role, which involved taking steroids and eating a lot. He wrote,

“I HONESTLY. REGRET PUTTING ON 70 POUNDS TO LOOK THE PART ..I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE IN MY OWN SKIN AND IT TOOK ALMOST 4 OR 5 YRS TO GET BACK TO 180…I OF COURSE USED STEROIDS AND ATE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF FOOD 6 TIMES A DAY. WAS VERY STUPID ON MY PART MY, ONLY REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS LONG HRS IN GYM.”

Mickey Rourke also said that he is talking about his struggles opening up so that young boys who attempt to take steroids to transform themselves should take heed and learn from the actor’s mistakes.