Jessi Draper says she has spent nine months trying to reverse the results of a cosmetic procedure she now calls her biggest plastic-surgery regret.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star originally planned to undergo upper and lower blepharoplasty, but her doctor suggested adding facial fat grafting around her eyes. Draper told PEOPLE that fat taken from her legs was ultimately placed around her eyes as well as in her lips and jaw.
Draper said she had told the doctor to do what was necessary to keep her face looking balanced but did not expect the procedure to become as extensive as it did. “I was very upset,” she said.
She has since undergone additional treatments in an effort to reduce some of the fullness and says the experience changed how she approaches cosmetic surgery after years of examining her appearance on reality television.
Draper Says the Fat Grafting Went Further Than She Expected
During the Sept. 21 episode of CHEERS! with Avery Woods, Draper said the original plan centered on blepharoplasty before her doctor recommended transferring fat to the area around her eyes.
She agreed to the additional work but said she did not realize fat would also be placed in her lips and along her jaw.
“I was like, ‘Do whatever you need to do to make it look balanced,’” Draper recalled. “And then I woke up and I had fat in my lips, fat in my jaw, fat in my eyes.”
Draper said the results left her swollen and unhappy with her appearance for months. She later underwent Kybella treatments while trying to reduce some of the added fullness.
“I’ve spent nine months trying to fix it,” she said, describing the process as a “nightmare.”
Her Recovery Was Filmed for Season 5
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Draper was filming Season 5 while her face was still healing, putting the results she was struggling with on camera before much of the swelling had subsided.
She said her lips looked particularly swollen during filming and worried viewers would assume that appearance was something she had specifically requested.
Being filmed in high definition also intensified the attention she paid to her face. Draper told Woods that reality television and comments from viewers had worsened what she described as body dysmorphia by giving her more features to scrutinize.
“You see yourself from every angle,” she said. “Then everyone’s commenting on every little thing about you.”
Draper has previously connected some of her decisions about cosmetic procedures to the pressure of seeing herself onscreen and receiving constant feedback about her appearance.
She Had Already Spoken About Not Recognizing Herself
Draper discussed her dissatisfaction publicly earlier this year while she was still waiting to see how much of the swelling would resolve.
In March, she told PEOPLE that she wished she had asked more questions before undergoing the facial procedures and described looking in the mirror during recovery as an “identity crisis.”
She also said criticism of her appearance had affected her confidence and made her more hesitant about certain professional opportunities.
Draper has since undergone a second breast augmentation, choosing smaller implants than she had previously. She told Woods that she was happy with that decision but does not plan to continue pursuing cosmetic surgery.
“I think I’m done,” she said.