E! News reported in 2013 that Efron broke his jaw after “slipping in a puddle of water” while at home. At the time, the news outlet said his mouth was wired shut after the incident.
Years later, his fans first noticed his changing appearance when he participated in an April 2021 Facebook Watch video with Bill Nye. His appearance also led to speculation that he had gone under the knife.
After his friends and family dismissed plastic surgery claims, Efron addressed the buzz in his 2022 interview with Men’s health and shared the details of the accident he faced.
“He was running around his house in socks and slipped, hitting his chin on the granite corner of a fountain,” said reporter Lauren Larson said in the October 2022 issue. “He lost consciousness, and when he woke up, he remembers, his chin bone was hanging off his face.”
In addition to surgery, Efron also underwent physical therapy, which he stopped before filming his Netflix series, Down to Earth with Zac Efronin Australia. The sudden stop made his muscles tremble be enlarged to compensate for the other muscles while his chin was still recovering.