Plastic surgery is like the Grim Reaper for the Hollywood set-sooner or later, it's going to be knocking at your door, scalpel in hand. And once you hit 40, it's basically like living in a nursing home. Ironically, though, sometimes surgery can leave stars looking a bit worse for wear. Still, for every unnatural "Botox brow," slanted eye job aftermath, and trampoline-tight face lift, there are some cosmetic surgery successes that were clearly worth the money and scars.

Greta Van Susteren
Let's be honest-Fox News anchorwoman Greta Van Susteren wasn't exactly babe material prior to her eyelid surgery-and, we suspect, other touch-ups-five years ago. And sure, Paula Zahn may not be shaking in her boots, but Van Susteren does look a lot better these days, going from plain hounddog to pretty lady. A 2003 Washington Post profile reported, "The increasingly blond Van Susteren, who had never seemed to care much whether her hair was combed, famously changed her appearance when Fox hired her. She admits that she was viewed as a 'bimbo' after undergoing surgery in an effort to remove the bags under her eyes." Now can we get Geraldo Rivera to shave off that mustache?

Patricia Heaton
We love it when celebs totally cop to getting some work done, as Patricia Heaton did when she admitted to getting a breast lift and tummy tuck in her early 40s. Heaton is refreshingly frank and unapologetic about her decision, telling Oprah, "Giving birth four times has taught me that a plastic surgeon is a girl's best friend. Having a C-section every two years makes your stomach end up looking like one of those cute Chinese Sharpei dogs-that have all the folds and skins hanging off them. That's not cute. My breasts-you had to fold them like Origami to get them into a bra. It was horrible. The advantage to having them lifted was my waistline went down because I no longer had to tuck 'em in my belt." Okay, we didn't need that many details-ick-but we've gotta say that Heaton's transformation was for the better. Also, we're NEVER having kids.

Vanessa Williams
The Ugly Betty star/former Miss America has always looked gorgeous, but once she hit 40, she decided that a little Botox couldn't hurt. Thankfully, Williams isn't as heavy-handed with wrinkle fillers as her character Wilhelmina. "I did it after I turned 40, but I told the doctor, 'My face has got to move. I am not looking for perfection, I am looking for refreshment," StarPulse.com quotes Williams as saying. Her less-is-more attitude is a smart one, giving her the freedom to do things like smile, frown, and raise a perfectly arched eyebrow.

Howard Stern
Talk about a guy with a face for radio. Whether it was his new Sirius mega-bucks deal or his relationship with hottie Beth Ostrosky, something compelled Howard Stern to tweak his looks. CityRag.com last year reported that The King of All Media admitted to having the prominent bump on his nose shaved down and got liposuction to get rid of some double chin action. He's still far from hunky, but it's a definite improvement, and even better-he still looks like himself.

Demi Moore
Women half her age would kill to look like 43-year-old Demi, not to mention have Ashton Kutcher as a husband. And it looks like, for a cool half a million dollars, they can. (Well-not the Ashton part. There's only one of him.) According to London's Daily Mail, the gorgeous actress's most recent procedure-surgery on her old lady knees-joins a list that includes liposuction, breast implants, breast implant removal and lift, brow lift, and more, bringing her surgery total to a reported £226,500 (nearly $500,000). That's a lot of money, but anyone who saw her figure in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle knows it was worth every penny.

Naomi Judd
It's hard to believe this youthful-looking country legend is old enough to have given birth to both Ashley and Wynonna. Granted, she's had a bit of help. In an interview with Larry King, 61-year-old Judd fessed up: "I've had a facelift. But I think it's okay if you really are defined from within first and you have a really strong self-concept." Still, she's no manufactured Dolly Parton lookalike; the surgery-not to mention a hip new hairstyle-left her looking gorgeous and fresh-faced, but not abnormally tight. And because Judd's always looked decades younger than her actual age, her new look isn't unnatural-looking. If all grandmothers looked like this, old men wouldn't need Viagra.

Cindy Crawford
When you think of celebrities in need of plastic surgery, Cindy Crawford is probably the absolute last name to come to mind. Which is why it's startling that the 41-year-old supermodel has revealed that she's been seeing a cosmetic surgeon since she was 29 years old. According to the Daily Mail, Crawford told Gala Magazine last year that, "I'm not going to lie to myself: past a certain age, creams work on the texture of your skin but, in order to restore elasticity, all I can really count on is vitamin injections, Botox, and collagen." I can't think of a better endorsement for Botox and collagen. Crawford still looks stunning, runway-ready, and natural, and it's nice to see that the surgeons haven't laid a finger on her famous beauty mark.

Jane Fonda
We think Jane Fonda looks fabulous after her plastic surgery, but she's given it up. Fonda told Glamour magazine that she's putting the kibosh on more work. Says Fonda, "I realized that I'm going to be 70 in a year, and I have chosen not to have any more plastic surgery. Sally Field and I have kind of made a pact about that. It's really hard, especially if you're a public person. But I want to give a face to aging." Still, Fonda, who reportedly had an upper eyelid lift a few years ago, will have to spend some time out in the sun smoking cartons of Marlboros if she wants to make us think she's old. Thanks to her successful surgery, she doesn't look anywhere near 70.

Anne Robinson
As host of Britain's popular quiz show "The Weakest Link," Anne Robinson has inspired many a nightmare thanks to her cold, taunting tone, frosty glare, and owlish pissed-off-nun look. Then she got plastic surgery, and viewers fell in love. (Okay, so she's still frosty, but there's only so much a scalpel can do.) The Daily Mail had this to say after 60-something Robinson's 2004 makeover: "She appeared young and sleek on the quiz show, with fashionable glasses and blonde highlights in her more sophisticated hairstyle. As a result, the wrinkles, red hair and old-fashioned John Lennon specs were even more of a distant memory." From frumpy to foxy? Now that's money well spent.