Khanyi Mbau is the breakout star of hit Netflix show Young, Famous and African – her diva antics, striking appearance and seemingly endless piles of cash hitting all the right notes with viewers. The actress didn’t always look the way she does now though. She grew up on screen as a child star in a show called Kideo and later landed a part on one of South Africa’s biggest soap operas, Muvhango . But while her acting skills run deep, it’s the dramatic changes in her appearance over the years that have remained a main talking point. From breast augmentation to controversial skin lightening, here’s how Mbau’s dramatically changed her appearance. Where is Anthony Strangis of Netflix’s Bad Vegan now? Maintaining an hourglass figure In an effort to maintain her figure, Mbau underwent several liposuction procedures. In 2017, she told Drum magazine that she’d had a waist reduction procedure and liposuction because she “wanted an hourglass, 22-year-old looking body”. Me at 11 vs me at 32 #agingchallenge pic.twitter.com/N4Bfgd69GE — KHANYI MBAU (@MbauReloaded) January 15, 2019 She openly admits to spending a fortune on looking good, saying she believes it’s a celebrity’s duty to “sell vanity” as it’s an “escape for people”, adding that she needs to “constantly look like their dreams”, according to News24. She has also admitted to having an eyebrow lift – removing hair from her head to fill her eyebrows and hairline – and fillers to change her nose profile, according to Sowetan . How rich is Lady Gaga really? Inside her gigantic net worth Inviting cameras to film her liposuction Mbau has never apologised for being in constant pursuit of the perfect look, and even went so far as to invite members of the media to watch her have liposuction. Ahead of the surgery, she told Drum she was fearful of being groggy and not in control afterwards, but knew it would be worth it. After the procedure, she added: “You still need to eat right and go to the gym, there are no short cuts.” Lightening her skin Mbau’s complexion has visibly changed over the years and she has been a vocal supporter of skin lightening products – despite other stars criticising them as being colourist. According to OKMzansi, Mbau openly admitted that she is looking for the closest thing to perfection, and strives to literally look like a “doll”. True to form, Mbau has also been outspoken about her decision to lighten her skin, saying that she simply wanted to stand out to make more money, and that having a paler complexion had helped her do that. “I look better when I’m lighter,” she has said, according to News24. The luxury lives of Kourtney Kardashian’s children The public backlash As a result, the controversial actress and TV presenter has repeatedly been slammed for being “un-African”, with critics claiming her rejection of her natural skin tone reinforces the harmful idea that dark-skinned women aren’t as beautiful as their lighter-skinned counterparts, according to Drum . But Mbau argues that just because she is choosing to be lighter, doesn’t mean other people should follow her lead. “Am I telling other women to lighten their skin? No. Why put yourself under pressure to look a certain way if it’s not going to help you or make you feel better about yourself?” she told the magazine. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .