The Real Housewives franchise is practically synonymous with plastic surgery at this point, with the women consistently sharing the results of their various procedures both on the show and on social media. And the Real Housewives of Orange County season 16 reunion was no different, with host Andy Cohen asking Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, a cosmetic dermatologist practicing in Newport Beach, California, who in her cast had the best work done.
Dr. Jen then pointed out that Shannon Storms Beador—who, at the beginning of the season admitted to overdoing it on filler and getting hyaluronidase injections to reverse the effects—looked more lifted.
“I had a facelift five weeks ago,” Storms Beador replied matter-of-factly. Five weeks may seem like a quick turnaround, but New York City board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Yael Halaas says it’s par for the course. “Usually, patients will look pretty good five to six weeks post-op, so that was pretty good timing,” she says. In fact, she adds, it might even be the best that skin will look post-op—since not only is it more taut, but the residual swelling also further smooths out any wrinkles or lines.
Beador, who is 58, continued: “And then the surgeon called John [her boyfriend] and said, ‘I’ve never cut more skin out of a neck in my entire career than I have with Shannon.’” Dr. Halaas is more skeptical of this detail, since excess skin around the neck typically appears with age or in severe cases of drooping skin due to sun exposure. “It sounds like an overstatement,” she says. Still, Dr. Armstrong approved of the results. “Shannon, you look great. You actually look very lifted,” she said. “It’s nice.”
Emily Simpson, who got a lower facelift in 2021, then said that she’d “just worked out” ahead of filming the reunion. “I’ve been CoolSculpting like nobody’s business,” Gina Kirschenheiter chimed in, implying that she may have needed repeat sessions. That’s not uncommon with fat-freezing treatments. “Cryolipolysis can only treat select areas at a time, and it treats the area that can be sucked into the device—so you do need to treat area after area, to get it to blend in,” says Dr. Halaas.
“My reunion prep was a colonoscopy,” joked Heather Dubrow, who is famously married to plastic surgeon Terry Dubrow. But she went on to explain that she’s into more minimally invasive maintenance treatments, preferably Sculptra and Botox. Dr. Jen shared that she’d gone the minimally invasive route too. “I’ve done Botox, filler, laser since the show wrapped,” she said. “I’d love to do some threads right after. It’s my plan.”
Dr. Halaas thinks this is a great call, as threads work well in conjunction with other minimally invasive procedures—and can bring their own advantages. “They lift and reposition without adding volume,” says Dr. Halaas, who’s a fan of Silhouette InstaLift threads, in particular. “They reposition your own volume, which gives you a more natural look.”
Ultimately, it was a refreshingly drama-free moment in the reunion—with Dubrow summing up the women’s collective attitude by saying: “Whatever makes you happy, makes you feel confident, that’s what you do.”
