Model With 'World's Biggest Cheeks' Shows Appearance Prior To Transformation In Photograph

Aug 20, 2021

There is a constant debate in the world of fashion and beauty regarding the ethics of plastic surgery. Do cosmetic procedures promote unrealistic beauty standards? What if they make you feel better about yourself? What if you enjoy modifying your appearance?

One Instagram model loves plastic surgery so much that she took her cosmetic procedures to the extreme, spending over $2,000 on cheek fillers over a period of just four years. The model in question is Anastasia Pokreshchuk, a 32-year-old Kyiv, Ukraine, who says she fell in love with her massive cheeks. Pokreshchuk has also undergone other plastic surgery procedures, including lip fillers, mouth fillers, botox for her forehead and jaw and chin reshaping.

Because of her striking appearance — some outlets have claimed she has the "world's biggest cheeks" — the Ukrainian model has amassed more than 270,000 followers on Instagram. She’s also made appearances on television, speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on “This Morning.”

Given that Pokreshchuk’s claim to fame is her modified appearance, it’s no surprise that many of her followers likely have not seen many photos of her before she began her cosmetic procedure journey at the age of 26. But on Aug. 9, 2021, Pokreshchuk gave her followers a glimpse of her past self, posting a photo of a 21-year-old Pokreshchuk next to a more recent photo of the Instagram model. In the older photo of Pokreshchuk before she went under the needle and knife, the model’s appearance is subdued when compared to her current self.

On the left, she wears what looks like a black fur shawl of some sort, and she shows off what seems to be her natural dark-brown hair. On the right, we can see that Pokreshchuk has completely transformed — from her massive cheeks to her bright pink hair.

While some commenters remarked that Pokreshchuk looks better in the photo taken before her procedures, the Instagram model has continually said that she likes modifying her appearance, even if she acknowledges that it “looks weird.”

"I love (my cheeks), I want them to look like this and I'm very happy,” Pokreshchuk said in an interview with the Mirror. “I regularly inject other parts of my face myself.”

During her appearance on “This Morning” in July 2020, she also said that she loves her look.

"I was like a grey mouse. My nose was too big ... And now I have big lips and big cheeks. It looks OK,” Pokreshchuk told Willoughby and Schofield.

On the program, she also revealed that she has forgone seeing a cosmetic surgeon, opting to inject the fillers herself. 

"It can be dangerous, but I do it with doctors, and now I'm learning cosmetology in an online school,” she explained.

Pokreshchuk goes on to say that it isn’t all about altering her appearance. The enhancements, she claims, also make her feel more self-confident around others — a positive byproduct of what some would consider radical changes to her face.

With that said, the “This Morning” hosts also interviewed Alex Karidis, a cosmetic surgeon based in London, who said that injecting fillers yourself can be dangerous given the potential complications, which can range from lumpiness to blindness. 

What do you think of Pokreshchuk’s decision to inject fillers herself? What do you think about her appearance before the procedures? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to others.