Bristol Palin shares she underwent ninth breast reconstruction surgery to fix 'botched' reduction
Bristol Palin is getting real about the "botched" breast reduction surgery that changed her life, and how it’s led to nine reconstruction surgeries in attempts to correct the damage.
On Wednesday, the Teen Mom: OG alum, 32, took to her Instagram Story to share a post-surgery mirror selfie in which she's seen wearing a compression bra with attached surgical drains from her most recent reconstruction.
The recent procedure, she explained, was her latest attempt to correct the reduction surgery she had at 19 years old.
“"Sharing wayyyyy [too much information] right now, but had my 9th breast reconstruction surgery last night — yes, NINTH. All stemming from a botched breast reduction I had when I was 19 [years old]," the mom of three wrote in text over the photo.
"I've had previous surgeries trying to correct the initial damage of muscle tissue and terrible scaring," she added. "The whole situation has honestly made me very self conscious my entire adult life."
"Praying this is the last surgery needed — I hate being a whiner but it kinda does put a setback/pause on life and that's why I've been fairly MIA," she noted. "Trying my hardest to stay positive, hype myself up, and remind myself that I have so much to be thankful for. I'm healthy, fully capable, and this is just an inconvenience cause things could always be worse."
Palin — who shares daughter Atlee, 5, and son Sailor, 7, with ex-husband Dakota Meyer, as well as son, Tripp, 14, with ex-husband Levi Johnston — is no stranger to opening up on social media about her body image from past surgeries.
In March 2021, the Dancing With the Stars alum showed off her fit stomach in a short video on Instagram. When she zoomed in closer, Bristol revealed a scar from a tummy tuck surgery she had in 2018.
"Let's get reeeel for a sec," Palin, the daughter of 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, wrote in the video. "I post what I want y'all to see. From decent angles and not from insecurities/scars (visible or not)."
"Here's something I don’t share," she continued, pulling down her shorts to reveal a scar along her hipbone. "The scar from the tummy tuck I had years ago."
"'Comparison can be the thief of all joy' — don’t let this place have you comparing your own worth and stealing your joy," she wrote, before posting an excerpt of the Bible verse Psalm 143:8.
As noted by E! News, Palin had the tummy tuck procedure done by a Corpus Christi, Texas-based surgeon she describes as "incredible."
"I don't regret it," the Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far author reportedly said in a now-expired Instagram Story. "But recovery was, (without a doubt) the worst pain of my entire life."
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