Every month, we strive to bring you a balanced mix of breaking news (like Kristen Doute sharing her recent AirSculpt experience) and advice you can always use, like how to determine what kind of facelift is best for you. Invariably though, there’s an intriguing headline or viral post that doesn’t make its own stand-alone story yet is still worthy of a share.
Which brings us here, to the latest installment of This Month in Aesthetics, an ICYMI recap of industry-molding moments that we’d be remiss not to acknowledge—from some unnerving news about black-market Botox to a Bachelorette star revealing her new breast implants.
Megyn Kelly raves about Botox; slams filler
The TV personality didn’t mince words when talking about her cosmetic treatments of choice on an episode of The Megyn Kelly Show on Sirius XM. “All right, ladies—listen to me. Get the lasers, get the Botox… I don’t believe in the filler. This is what I do, and it allows you to age but age well, and you don’t look weird and desperate. I’m not going to name names, but I’ve seen so many people in my business on television news overdo the filler. They overdo the Botox too, and they just look like freaks,” she said. She went on to criticize the trend of overfilled lips: “They stick filler in there, and their lips stick out like a ledge, like you could put your teacup on there.”
JoJo Siwa spent $50,000 on one cosmetic procedure
The 20-year-old Dance Moms alum ditched her signature ponytail and added pearly white veneers to her look. Last year, she told fans that the reason her teeth are so white is because she “picked out the whitest color.” And at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards earlier this month, she revealed exactly how much her new smile cost. When asked what the most expensive thing she was wearing was, the So You Think You Can Dance judge quipped, “My teeth. Those motherf****** cost me 50 grand.”
Counterfeit botulinum toxin injections sicken people across the country
According to the CDC, fake Botox has sickened 19 people across the country in nine different states (including New York, Florida, Illinois, and Colorado) as of mid-April. All of those affected had received botulinum toxin injections in either non healthcare settings or by untrained individuals. “These incidents have occurred when counterfeit Botox is injected by licensed and unlicensed individuals and/or in nonmedical or unlicensed settings,” stated the FDA.
Symptoms included blurred vision, difficulty lifting the head, incontinence, and shortness of breath, among others—all symptoms of botulism—and nine of the sickened patients were hospitalized, although no one tested positive for the illness. The CDC, the FDA, and local health departments are working to determine the source of the counterfeit product, although the FDA was quick to note that there’s no link to genuine, brand-name Botox.
Lisa Rinna says Skinvive wasn’t the right choice for her
Fans were shocked at the reality star’s appearance in a (since deleted) TikTok video posted by a physician’s assistant, who called out Rinna for the use of too much filler in the cheeks and midface. Comments poured in, noting how unrecognizable she looked, eliciting a response from Rinna herself. “Skinvive is not for everyone, and it was not good for me. Luckily we could dissolve it today. Whew,” she wrote in the comments section.
However, Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid–based skin booster, not a filler. Its primary function is to hydrate the more superficial layers of the skin and improve skin quality, not add volume or contour.
The Bachelorette’s Charity Lawson says getting breast implants was “the best decision”
@charity.lawson what ive been up to this past week 🙈🫶🏾🤪🍈 #grwm #lifestyle ♬ original sound – charitylawson
The reality star took to TikTok to show off the results of a recent breast augmentation after fans speculated about her whereabouts. “I want to be the person who when you look at me, you see someone who is being transparent in the conversation and normalizing these experiences,” she said. “I was in recovery because I got my girlies done. They are one week post-op.”
She then showed off her new body profile, explaining that she wanted a more subdued look. “I’m very petite and tiny, so I knew that going in, I don’t want this to be like, ‘Oh my God, this girl got her titties done… really, I wanted it to be very natural, I wanted it to, just really, to be for me.” She went on to call her doctor (Dr. Daniel Barrett, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California) the best in the industry, adding that she’s healing well and is very proud and very happy with her decision.
Vampire Facials linked to HIV cases in New Mexico
A new report from the CDC has found three cases of HIV linked to Vampire Facials performed at a spa in New Mexico. (The treatment involves delivering the plasma from an individual’s blood into the skin via microneedling.) While the report doesn’t name the spa directly, the New Mexico Department of Health was first notified that a woman contracted HIV after receiving a Vampire Facial at the VIP Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2018. The spa was later shut down, and the owner was sentenced to three-and-half-years in prison for practicing medicine without a license, including performing unlicensed Vampire Facials. Per the CDC report, an inspection of the spa found unlabeled tubes of blood on a kitchen counter, unwrapped syringes, and a lack of a steam sterilizer, among other problematic things.
While hundreds of clients were tested for various blood-borne illnesses, the CDC has now linked three cases of HIV directly to these facials, transmitted via contaminated blood. The investigation remains ongoing, and the New Mexico Department of Health is urging all former clients who received any type of injection-related services at the spa to get tested, even if they previously tested negative.
You could be the face of Botox
Do you love Botox or Juvéderm enough to be the face of the brand? Allergan Aesthetics is hosting an open casting call for consumers to be featured in future campaigns that share their testimonials, personal stories, and before-and-afters. “There is nothing more powerful than seeing someone you can relate to sharing their aesthetic journey. With this casting call, we are elevating more authentic patient voices while driving increased diversity across the entire industry, with the goal of making this the standard for aesthetics,” said Jasson Gilmore, senior vice president of U.S. Aesthetics. The casting will run through June 4, 2024, and you can apply here.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard documents her rhinoplasty
“I’m going through a personal transformation journey, and that includes a physical one too,” 32-year-old Blanchard told People of her decision to undergo a nose job. She later shared that it “went great” and that despite not being able to breathe through her nose because it was packed, she couldn’t wait to see the results. “I want to see it so bad!” Blanchard’s surgery will be featured on Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, set to air this summer.
Mia Thornton gets liposuction
The Real Housewives of Potomac star made a splash during her first season, detailing the multiple cosmetic procedures she’s had during one of her very first cast parties. The latest addition to that list? Liposuction. Earlier this month, Thornton posted an Instagram video showing her arrival and pre-liposuction prep at The Glow Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics. “Are you ready to see this body transformation? Stay tuned!” she captioned the post. She later took to Instagram Stories to say that she was feeling great and wearing her post-op compression garment: “The waist is doing what the waist needs to do,” she said.
Tori Spelling says Monjuaro helped her lose weight after having her fifth child
On a recent episode of her Misspelling podcast, the actress explained that she turned to weight-loss drugs after not being able to lose pregnancy weight after having her fifth child, Beau, in 2017. “At my heaviest, I was 120 pounds my entire life. And after Beau, I was 160 pounds,” she said, adding that no matter what she tried, she couldn’t drop the weight. Ozempic didn’t work for her, but Mounjaro did; she discontinued it once she hit her goal weight. “I did go off of it, because I had hit my ideal weight and I felt like I didn’t want to get any thinner,” she explained. Spelling also added that given how many celebs are talking about using these drugs, she wasn’t ashamed about sharing her experience.
