Lisa Rinna doesn’t just walk into a room; she arrives with a smile that has basically become its own zip code. If you’ve spent any time watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or caught her during her soap opera heyday on Days of Our Lives, you know the look. That signature pout. The choppy hair. The "own it" energy. But lately, the conversation around lisa rinna before and after has shifted from playful curiosity to genuine shock.
People are looking at photos from 1988 and then looking at her 2024 Fashion Trust US red carpet appearance and wondering: Wait, what happened?
Honestly, Rinna is one of the few celebrities who will actually tell you. She’s been a pioneer in the "I messed up my face" category of celebrity transparency. While most stars hide behind "drinking more water" or "good lighting," Rinna has been documenting her battle with silicone, migration, and the modern era of "dissolving" fillers. It's a wild ride that involves a 1980s cult classic movie and some very "yucky" scar tissue.
The Beaches Effect: Where the Lips Began
It all started with a movie. Back in 1988, Lisa Rinna saw Barbara Hershey in the film Beaches. She was 24 years old, just starting out, and she became obsessed with Hershey’s full, pillowy pout. So, she did what many of us did in the 80s—she went to an injector with her best friend.
But here’s the thing: back then, they weren't using the temporary hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvéderm or Restylane that we have today. They were using permanent silicone.
"I was crazy to even touch them in the first place," she told People in 2010. She had four injections in her upper lip. At first? It was great. She looked like a star. Her lips actually helped her land roles in Melrose Place and Days of Our Lives. She’s even joked that her lips have had their own career. But silicone doesn't just stay put. Over about a decade, that permanent filler started to migrate.
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It didn't just move; it hardened. Rinna described the sensation as feeling like "hard peas" inside her mouth. By the time the 2000s rolled around, her trademark look was becoming a medical nightmare.
The 2010 Lip Reduction: Trying to Go Back
By 2010, the "Lisa Rinna before and after" photos were becoming a staple of tabloid gossip. Her upper lip had become so swollen and bumpy that it was starting to define her entire personality. She decided she'd had enough. She sought out Dr. Garth Fisher—a legendary plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills—to perform a lip reduction.
This wasn't a simple "dissolve" job. Because the silicone was permanent and had created massive amounts of scar tissue, the doctor had to actually cut into the lip to remove the "yucky" material.
- The Surgery: It was a reconstructive procedure to thin out the upper lip.
- The Result: Two months later, Rinna was ecstatic. "You can see my teeth when I smile now!" she gushed.
- The Husband's Take: Harry Hamlin, her husband of decades, was surprisingly chill about it. He claimed he didn't even notice the lumps before, but he definitely preferred the "softer" look after the surgery.
For a few years, things seemed to settle. But if you’ve followed her recent social media posts, you know that the journey didn't end with that one surgery.
The Skinvive Mishap of 2024
Fast forward to early 2024. Rinna appeared on red carpets looking... different. Her face seemed incredibly tight, and her mid-face had a level of volume that looked almost painful. The internet, being the internet, was not kind. A TikTok creator and aesthetic physician assistant, Nicole Smith, posted a video using Rinna as an example of "over-filled" syndrome.
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Most celebs would have sent a cease-and-desist. Rinna? She hopped into the comments.
"Skinvive is not for everyone, and it was not good for me," she wrote. She admitted that she had tried Skinvive (a hyaluronic acid micro-droplet injectable) thinking it would just give her a "glow." Instead, it added volume she didn't want.
This is the nuance most people miss when looking at lisa rinna before and after comparisons. It's not just "plastic surgery." It’s a constant cycle of trying new products, reacting poorly to them, and then using modern technology to fix them. She later posted on her Instagram Stories, "Luckily we could dissolve it today. Whew!"
Beyond the Lips: What Else Has She Done?
If we’re being real, the lips are only 40% of the story. Experts who analyze Rinna’s face—like Dr. Christina Tanzavati—often point out that while she denies a full facelift, she’s clearly had "work" that keeps her jawline razor-sharp at 60.
- The Cheeks: In 2009, she famously told Momlogic that she overdid Juvéderm in her cheeks and felt like a "freak." She learned that "less is more" the hard way.
- The Breast Implants: She’s been very open about her breast augmentation. She originally had 335cc saline implants which she used for her Playboy shoots. After having her daughter Amelia, she swapped them for smaller 180cc silicone implants because the big ones were "frickin' painful."
- Botox: She loves it. She’s never hidden it. She says it makes her look "fresher" without changing her face shape, though some fans might disagree when her forehead looks particularly immobile.
- The Nose: While she hasn't explicitly confirmed a rhinoplasty, many surgeons note that her nose has thinned out significantly since her 20s.
Why the "Before and After" Matters for You
The fascination with Lisa Rinna’s face isn't just about celebrity worship. It’s a cautionary tale about the "long tail" of cosmetic procedures. We live in an era where everyone is getting "baby Botox" at 22, but Rinna is living proof of what happens 30 years down the line when those choices catch up to you.
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She’s a "perfect poster child for what not to do on a whim," as she once told People.
But there is a level of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) in her story. She doesn't just show the "after"; she shows the "oops." She acknowledges the limitations of these procedures. When she says "don't let any injectors tell you Skinvive won't add volume," she’s speaking from a place of lived experience that most influencers won't share because they're paid to promote the product.
Actionable Takeaways from the Rinna Evolution
If you're considering following in her footsteps (or avoiding them), here are the actual lessons from the Lisa Rinna journey:
- Avoid Permanent Fillers: If Lisa’s "hard peas" story taught us anything, it’s that your face changes, but permanent silicone doesn't. Stick to dissolvable HA fillers.
- The "Dissolve" Safety Net: We are lucky to live in 2026 where hyaluronidase can fix a botched filler job in minutes. Rinna didn't have that in the 80s.
- Check the "Glow" Claims: Just because an injectable is marketed for "hydration" or "skin quality" doesn't mean it won't change your face shape.
- Own the Aging: Rinna looks incredible at 60 because she maintains a "moderate lifestyle," works out daily, and doesn't smoke. The surgery is just the icing; the cake is her health.
At the end of the day, Lisa Rinna is going to keep being Lisa Rinna. Whether her face is "dissolved" or "plumped," she’s built a brand on being the most honest person in the room about her own vanity. And honestly? That's probably the most "refreshed" thing about her.