Man, 61, Loses 95 Pounds and Treats Himself to ‘Life-Changing’ Plastic Surgery. The Results Shocked the Internet

Dale has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few years — both inside and out.

The 61-year-old California resident reached a turning point in his life after a divorce, a move to a new city, and meeting the man who would become his husband. Together, Dale and Jonathan embarked on a health journey that led to significant weight loss: Dale shed 95 pounds, and Jonathan lost 135.

However, the weight loss brought its own challenges, including loose skin — and Dale also wanted to address the signs of aging on his face.

“I was in that generation that used foil and oil to tan in Hawaii — the more burned, the better. Never heard of moisturizer. Everything I was doing was completely wrong. And I honestly thought it was too late,” Dale tells PEOPLE, reflecting on his mindset before exploring plastic surgery options.

In his search for the right surgeon, Dale considered doctors across the globe, from Thailand to Colombia. Ultimately, he preferred staying in the U.S. to avoid complications abroad, narrowing his options to Las Vegas and Dr. Obaida Batal in Southern California.

Dale initially consulted Dr. Batal for a tummy tuck, but soon realized the surgeon could also handle his long-considered facelift.

“I just got tired of looking in the mirror and seeing someone I didn’t feel like inside. I wanted my outside to match how I felt inside,” Dale explains.

He began with the tummy tuck in spring 2023. While the procedure mostly went smoothly, a minor complication occurred when some of his incisions reopened.

“There was no infection, but it did open, and we had to re-close it. He monitored it to minimize scarring,” Dale shares.

Dr. Batal describes the procedure as a “lumbar flap,” a newer technique that involved repositioning fat from Dale’s lower back under the buttock muscle and tucking his abdomen. Dale appreciated that this method preserved his love handles and avoided the need for additional skin removal on his legs. Jonathan later underwent his own tummy tuck after his weight loss.

A few months later, Dale returned to Dr. Batal to start his facial transformation. From June to September 2023, he underwent a deep plane neck and facelift, forehead lift, blepharoplasty (upper and lower), fat transfer to the face, temporal lift, and a chemical peel.

Dr. Batal explains that the blepharoplasty addressed a lack of fat under Dale’s eyes and excess in the upper eyelids. “Instead of removing the fat under the eyes, we moved fat from the eyelids into the cheeks and removed the extra skin,” he says.

After completing the major procedures, Dr. Batal performed a minor “revision” to address residual laxity in Dale’s mid-face, adding a temporal lift to perfect the results.

The final step was a deep croton oil peel, which Dr. Batal calls “the strongest peel ever.” Dale admits it was painful but transformative, removing years of sun-damaged, aged skin.

“That peel ended up being the most important part of the overall look,” Dale says.

Now, two years later, Dale is considering minor refinements, such as additional facial fat transfer and another peel, but he is thrilled with his transformation. He no longer feels self-conscious and has moved past the harsh comment from a doctor in his late 50s, who told him he looked 20 years older than he was — a remark that haunted him during his weight-loss journey.

“Those words stayed with me for a very long time,” Dale admits. “As I lost weight, I looked older, in my 70s, simply from years of neglect, genetics, and the effects of extreme weight loss.”

Dr. Batal has shared Dale’s journey on social media, where viewers continue to praise the transformation. On TikTok and Instagram, fans comment on his bright smile and newfound confidence. The surgeon describes witnessing Dale’s journey as “life-changing.”

Indeed, Dale has every reason to smile.

“At this point, I’m thrilled with everything — top to bottom,” he gushes.