Lisa Rinna, the outspoken Real Housewives star, exposes the dark side of cosmetic enhancements in her memoir, detailing how a new filler called SKINVIVE led to “freakish” swelling and a wave of online cruelty that left her traumatized.
In her explosive new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Lisa Rinna pulls back the curtain on a cosmetic procedure that went horribly wrong, leaving her with a visage she describes as “freakish” and subjecting her to a torrent of public criticism she calls “traumatizing.” The revelation has reignited conversations about the perils of aesthetic enhancements and the brutal accountability of social media.
The procedure in question is SKINVIVE, a dermal filler approved by the FDA that promises a subtle glow without added volume. According to the FDA, it is “a gel implant or dermal filler that is injected in specific areas of facial tissue to add definition or reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.” For Rinna, however, it delivered something entirely unexpected.
In April 2024, ahead of the Fashion Trust Awards in Beverly Hills, Rinna visited an esthetician seeking a pre-event refresh. She was pitched SKINVIVE as a revolutionary product: “you put it on your face and it will act like it doesn’t add any volume, it just gives you a glow,” she recounts in her memoir, as reported by The Daily Mail. Trusting the recommendation, she proceeded with injections solely in her cheeks.
The outcome was disastrous. “All of a sudden, my cheeks were like a squirrel gathering nuts,” Rinna writes, suggesting a possible allergic reaction. The situation worsened because she had recently received Botox in her jaw to address TMJ. The combination of Botox-induced jawline atrophy and SKINVIVE’s volume created a distorted effect she did not mince words about: “made me look freakish.”
Photographs from the Fashion Trust Awards quickly went viral, and Rinna became the unwitting center of a social media storm. “Everybody put my picture up because my face did look different,” she notes. Influencers produced side-by-side comparison videos, and her image proliferated across platforms. “Everyone was so mean about it. I was all over TikTok and all over every f—ing doctor’s site,” she recalls, describing the experience as deeply humiliating.
Faced with relentless scrutiny, Rinna opted for an immediate reversal. The procedure was undone within days, restoring her appearance to its prior state. “Oh my God. It was really humiliating because I knew that it looked terrible,” she admits. Yet, drawing on her decades in the public eye, she adds with characteristic resilience: “Fortunately, I’m an old battle axe at this point and I can take it.”
The incident prompted broader reflections on beauty standards. In a subsequent interview with PEOPLE, Rinna offered a balanced perspective: “Some things work out, and some things don’t.” applauding advancements in cosmetic technology while cautioning against the relentless pursuit of perfection. “Once you get older and there’s anti-aging things out there, great. Hallelujah! But it’s happening at such a young age now, the pressure to somehow be perfect… there is no such thing as perfection. And so if you’re chasing that, you’ll always be unhappy.”
Rinna’s candor is not new; as a prominent figure on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Days of Our Lives, she has long been transparent about her cosmetic journey. This episode, however, marks a raw moment where personal regret collided with public spectacle, underscoring how quickly a red carpet misstep can become global fodder.
For fans, Rinna’s story has sparked empathetic dialogue about the risks of cosmetic procedures and the toxicity of online shaming. Her willingness to share the painful details—from the “squirrel cheeks” to the TikTok crucifixion—has resonated widely, with many praising her vulnerability while reflecting on their own experiences with aesthetic decisions.
The memoir You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It is now available, offering a deeper dive into this and other personal battles. Rinna’s SKINVIVE ordeal serves as a stark reminder: even cutting-edge cosmetic science carries unknowns, and in the age of social media, there is no hiding from the court of public opinion.
For the fastest, most authoritative analysis of entertainment news and celebrity culture, turn to onlytrustedinfo.com—where we deliver the insights you need, right when you need them.
