Brandi Glanville's Facial Disfigurement Traced to Ruptured Breast Implants
Reality television star Brandi Glanville has publicly revealed that her severe facial disfigurement was caused by damaged breast implants leading to a serious infection. This disclosure follows years of medical confusion and substantial financial expenditure exceeding $130,000 on attempted treatments.
Years of Misdiagnosis and Self-Treatment Attempts
Previously, Glanville insisted her facial features were deformed by parasites contracted during filming in Morocco for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club 2 in 2023. In desperate attempts to resolve the issue, she experimented with unconventional methods including hair removal cream, which resulted in facial burns.
Her medical journey involved consultations with over twenty different physicians, with many dismissing her symptoms as mere inflammation or residual effects from cosmetic fillers. Insurance providers repeatedly denied coverage, claiming nothing was substantially wrong, leaving Glanville to exhaust her savings and accumulate significant medical debt.
The Breakthrough Diagnosis
The turning point came last summer when Glanville consulted infectious disease immunology physician Dr. Michael R. Scoma in New York City. Although she never publicly disclosed his specific diagnosis, she proudly shared photographs showing dramatic facial improvement following his treatment.
However, the ultimate discovery revealed the true source: breast augmentation surgery performed eighteen years earlier. Diagnostic imaging eventually showed both implants had failed—one completely ruptured, the other leaking—releasing silicone that migrated throughout her lymphatic system.
"I had silicone all over my lymph nodes," Glanville explained via TMZ. "That's what caused the infection in my face, and it couldn't get out because my lymph nodes were all clogged."Life-Saving Surgical Intervention
Glanville underwent what Inside Edition described as "life-saving surgery" with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ariel Ourian. During the complex procedure, Dr. Ourian discovered the situation was more severe than anticipated.
"Brandi's case is really complicated. She has a ruptured implant. I don't really know what I'm gonna find when I get in there," Dr. Ourian confessed before surgery. The operation required glove changes mid-procedure as he extracted the mangled implant remains and suctioned escaped silicone.
"It is torn, it is ripped and this is actually much worse than I expected," the surgeon reported during the operation, though he noted the second implant remained intact. Following removal, Dr. Ourian provided new implants with reduced rupture risk.
Physical and Emotional Recovery
One week post-surgery, Glanville reported significant physical improvements: "My joints are different. I can sit down, I can get up right away. I don't have to massage my neck all day long."
The emotional toll had been substantial, with Glanville admitting she had isolated herself for three years and at one point "didn't want to be here" anymore. Now she declares, "I've been isolating for three years. It's been hell and now I want to live my life again. I'm ready."
Additional Reconstructive Procedures
To address the accelerated aging effects of her ordeal, Glanville is now working with two Beverly Hills plastic surgeons. Dr. Robert G. Dorfman handles laser treatments and other non-surgical interventions, while Dr. Ourian managed the implant removal.
"Well, honestly I'm not getting plastic surgery," Glanville clarified. "Dr. Dorfman is doing like lasers and different things because it sucks to age 20 years overnight."
Additional dental work became necessary, with Glanville noting, "I had a bunch of teeth pulled. I have to get that fixed. I feel like a hillbilly walking around with no teeth, but what are you gonna do?"
Medical Advocacy and Warnings
Reflecting on her experience, Glanville emphasized the reality of breast implant illness and recommended proactive monitoring. "There is such a thing as breast implant illness and you really should change your breast implants out at 10 years," she advised.
Her guidance to others considering implants: "I'm not saying don't do it. Just do it and make sure you stay on top of it, and mammograms can actually rupture your breast implant. So you really have to be vigilant—get sonograms, ask your doctor."
Glanville acknowledged learning "a really, really hard lesson" from assuming "if it's not broke, don't fix it" regarding her implants.
Financial and Personal Consequences
The medical crisis created severe financial strain, with Glanville explaining, "I'm paying the minimum on my credit cards. I've exhausted my savings." She expressed feeling "like such a loser" at her age after previously maintaining excellent credit and financial stability.
To contest insurance denials, she enlisted healthcare strategist Rachel Strauss, known as the PBM Princess, specializing in Pharmacy Benefit Management disputes.
The ordeal also affected her personal life, with Glanville sharing custody of sons Mason, 22, and Jake, 18, with ex-husband Eddie Cibrian, who left her for singer LeAnn Rimes.
A Path Forward
Glanville's recovery began in earnest after Dr. Scoma reached out following her distressed social media posts. In August, she posted triumphant Instagram photos showing restored features, crediting Twitter for connecting her with the physician who helped initiate her turnaround.
"They say Twitter is the devil but all it took was me screaming in my tweets asking for help for this lovely man to reach out," she wrote gratefully.
Despite the challenges, Glanville now expresses optimism about her health and future, marking the end of a three-year medical nightmare that fundamentally altered her appearance, finances, and quality of life.
