Melissa Gilberts plastic surgery: too noticeable?

July 12, 2024

This image is from 2011. For a more recent image go to Radar Online

I used to watch “Little House on the Prairie” when I was a kid in the 80s, but it wasn’t like it was my favorite show or anything. As I keep explaining to my kid, we didn’t get a VCR until I was in eighth grade (around the time everyone else got one) and we had to watch whatever was on and then go do something else during the commercials. The horror, right? Get off my lawn. (I also hate the new gmail format, and the new Facebook format, which means I’m getting old according to my mom.)

I remember Little House somewhat, and how it jumped the shark when Mary went blind and various little kids came to visit and wreaked havoc. (I just spent way too much time looking up information about old LHOP episodes.) Laura Ingalls was the lead character and narrator, and Melissa Gilbert, 47, is best known for that role. She was so young and of course fresh faced in that show, and it looks like she’s been to the surgeon a few too many times to try and recapture her youth. Melissa is currently on Dancing with the Stars, and Radar has quotes from a surgeon who says she’s had some noticeable recent work:

Not only has the former Little House On The Prairie star been spending long hours rehearsing with dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, she’s also fitted in time to see her plastic surgeon, thinks celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn, who has not treated the actress.

“Her face is surprisingly wrinkle-free for a woman her age. I suspect that she’s had some Botox to her forehead and crows feet, effectively smoothing them out,” he exclusively told Radar.

“She may also have had some filler injections like Restylane to the deep creases of her lower face as well. Overall her face looks longer than before, a likely combination of aging and some plastic surgery.”

Having divorced from husband Bruce Boxleitner last August after 16 years of marriage, it is understandable that Melissa would want a nip, tuck and needle-prick to feel young again now that she’s back on the market, but Dr. Youn warns that the injectables are only a temporary fix.

“Unless her face gets a Botox recharge, I bet we will see more wrinkles return over the next several months as it wears off,” he told Radar.

[From Radar]

I think it’s true that Melissa Gilbert had a lot of work done, and that she went overboard somewhat. She’s looked like this for a while though, and people are only noticing now because she’s on DWTS. I see new lips, a new nose, and Botox. As they say in the south, bless her, you know? She wanted to look better and it didn’t really work out that way. I understand the urge to get something done and I’m feeling it now, but I see examples every day of what I should hold off. That’s about all I’ll say about that.

Here’s Melissa’s first dance. She’ll probably stay on a little longer, but unless she improves significantly she’s not going to make it to the end. There was some stiff competition.

Header photo is from 2011. Photos below are from DWTS and from 2010, 2009 and 2003.