Bristol Palin, 32, is being open and honest about a botched breast reduction surgery she had at 19 that’s led to nine reconstructive surgeries. The daughter of Sarah Palin took to her Instagram story to share a photo of herself in a post-surgery bra and surgical drains that were filled with blood and fluid as well as eye masks under her eyes. She revealed she just had her most recent surgery, which was her ninth, in the caption of the photo.
“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 caption read. “I’ve had previous surgeries trying to correct that initial damage of muscle tissue and terrible scaring. The whole situation has honestly made me very self-conscious my entire adult life.”
“Praying this is the last surgery needed, she went on. “I hate being a whiner, but it kinda does put a setback/pause on life and that’s why I’ve been fairly MIA. [I’m] 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 way worse.”
Bristol’s photo and admission comes after she and high school boyfriend Levi Johnston stepped into the spotlight at the 2008 Republican National Convention. She got pregnant at the age of 17 and had her son, Tripp, in Dec. 2008. She turned 19 in 2009, which was most likely the year of her first surgery.
Bristol went on to marry Dakota Meyer in 2016. They welcomed daughter Sailor Grace in 2015 and daughter Atlee Bay in 2017. She also previously revealed she had other surgeries, including jaw surgery in 2011 and a tummy tuck in 2018, around the same time she split from Dakota. She also got a smile makeover that included a gum lift and veneers that same year.