First lady Melania Trump finds herself at the center of renewed speculation after an old photograph from her modeling days resurfaced online, leaving social media users stunned by what they perceive as a dramatic transformation.
The vintage photo, now circulating widely across platforms, captures a version of the first lady that many claim is barely recognizable when compared to her current appearance.
The throwback photo has sparked passionate discussions among users, who point to significant differences in facial features, bone structure, and overall appearance. This latest wave of scrutiny has reignited persistent questions about cosmetic procedures despite Trump’s previous denials of any surgical enhancements.
When an Instagram page posted the picture alongside a more recent photo of the first lady, the user posted sarcastically, “Yes, Doctor… Please put my cheekbones right next to my ears, remove 75% of my chin, give me a nice, big, healthy set of jugs… ooh, and make my eyes look like I’m permanently trying to bend spoons with my mind.”
Many Instagram users hopped into the comments and weighed in on the before-and-after looks under the post.
“She was so much prettier before. Always looks angry eyed so much pulling of skin,” commented one observer.
Someone then joked, “Why does it look like Melania is always squinting?”
“Doesn’t look like the same person. Did she have her eyes made smaller?” another said.
Another person added, “Why do people do this to their faces? I just don’t understand. She had such a lovely face.”
Medical professionals have also weighed in on the speculation surrounding Melania’s appearance.
Dr. Dennis Schimpf, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Charleston, South Carolina, has analyzed available photographs and identified what he considers telltale signs of cosmetic procedures.
Schimpf said to The List in February that Melania appears to have a scar in front of her ear, known as a pretragal incision, which is commonly associated with facelift procedures. He also points to subtle changes in the shape of her ears and the tightness of her neck as classic indicators of surgical intervention.
Supporting this assessment, Dr. Sean McNally, another board-certified surgeon, has made similar observations. He notes that the 55-year-old earlobe has developed what medical professionals call a “pixie shape,” and there appears to be a faint line just in front of her ear running down to the edge of her earlobe, both consistent with facelift procedures.
Beyond facial surgery, Schimpf said he believes Melania may have also undergone an eyelid lift, known as a canthoplasty. When comparing recent photographs to earlier ones, he observes that her originally rounder, almond-shaped eyes, which naturally convey a more youthful appearance, now appear more slanted and angled upward.
Curious if Melania Trump might have undergone plastic surgery? Hear what my father, a facial plastic surgeon thinks…
https://t.co/7rLlgrIkMD pic.twitter.com/xXX5T9Utbs
— Dr. Hannah Kopelman (@drhankopelman) August 12, 2024
This transformation is typically the result of an eyelid lift, possibly combined with a temporal brow lift.
The speculation reached fever pitch in 2018 when the White House announced that Trump had undergone kidney cyst embolization surgery, according to The Hill.
While the procedure itself wasn’t unusual, her extended hospital stay of five nights and subsequent 24-day absence from public appearances raised eyebrows among observers.
Given that cyst embolization typically requires only a 24-hour hospital stay, many questioned whether this was a cover for cosmetic procedures.
Dr. Schimpf notes that the recovery period for the rumored surgeries, particularly a facelift, would be approximately six weeks, with initial swelling subsiding in 7-10 days and bruising resolving within three weeks.
However, Trump herself has consistently denied undergoing cosmetic procedures.
In a GQ interview, she stated emphatically, “I didn’t do anything. I live a healthy life, I take care of my skin and my body. I’m against Botox, I’m against injections; I think it’s damaging your face, damaging your nerves. It’s all me.”
Donald Trump also addressed the rumors during the 2018 speculation, taking to Twitter to defend his wife.
“The Fake News Media has been so unfair, and vicious, to my wife and our great First Lady, Melania. During her recovery from surgery they reported everything from near death, to facelift, to left the W.H. (and me) for N.Y. or Virginia, to abuse. All Fake, she is doing really well!” he tweeted.
The Fake News Media has been so unfair, and vicious, to my wife and our great First Lady, Melania. During her recovery from surgery they reported everything from near death, to facelift, to left the W.H. (and me) for N.Y. or Virginia, to abuse. All Fake, she is doing really well!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2018
The resurfaced photograph ultimately highlights ongoing conversations about public image and personal choices in an era of intense scrutiny.
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