The ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star tells PEOPLE all about the transformation ahead of her milestone birthday in January
Credit: Dr. John Layke
NEED TO KNOW
- Alexis Bellino is revealing the details of her facelift exclusively to PEOPLE
- The reality star underwent a mid-facelift and neck lift performed by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based surgeon Dr. John Layke earlier this year
- Bellino reveals that her family was against her undergoing the cosmetic procedure, but says they are happy about her results
In January, Alexis Bellino will turn 50 and step into a new chapter of her life with a major update.
The Real Housewives of Orange County alum reveals to PEOPLE exclusively that she underwent a mid-facelift, which she bought as an early birthday present to herself ahead of her personal milestone. Her goal? To look “youthful and zesty” in her new age — and the ones moving forward.
Credit: Dr. John Layke
Bellino has formed a “complex” relationship with plastic surgery over the past few decades. Her first enhancement, a breast augmentation, was done when she was 19, making her the “first girl” at the University of Missouri to get implants, she claims. Her gravitation towards implant surgery eventually earned her the nickname “Jesus Jugs” on national television, but her regularity with the procedure went downhill — and fast — when, more recently, she experienced a painful post-op complication that left one of her implants leaking silicone, which led her to get smaller implants last year (Bellino says her boob jobs have her convincing her daughters to steer clear from the surgery).
In 2011, Bellino also underwent sinus surgery to remove impacted tissue, but the procedure, aired on Bravo at the time, doubled as a cosmetic nose job to address the “bump” on her bridge.
Despite her nuanced experiences with it all, Bellino always knew a facelift was in her future. “Why I went down this path is [because] a couple of my friends that are a decade older than me both had it done at 49, and they look amazing at 60. I kind of feel like, learn from people that are older and wiser than me.”
Credit: Dr. John Layke
But even with her plans, Bellino’s kids, now young adults, “begged” her not to undergo surgery. “They said, ‘Mom, please come on. Jesus Jugs, we’ve had enough of you and your stuff.” And so I just said, ‘Guys, you’ll get it when you’re 50.’”
Her husband, John Janssen, whom she married in October 2025, also had his doubts and was “against” Bellino’s desire for a facelift until he sat in on one of her consultations with Beverly Hills, Calif.-based plastic surgeon Dr. John Layke.
So, with trust in the process, she went into the operation excited for a rejuvenated look.
Her seven-hour surgery, done earlier this year and paid for out of her own pocket, included a mini facelift (to address the midsection of her face, including her “laugh lines”), a neck lift, a brow lift, an upper blepharoplasty and a CO2 laser that resurfaces the skin.
Everything together made for quite a “brutal” recovery, with Bellino describing it as a “whole different animal” compared to her past experiences.
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but it was not easy,” she says.
Bellino, who added that the left side of her face “took a little bit longer to catch up to the healing,” says she has “no doubt” she’ll be “fully” recovered once her results settle in. She even walked a red carpet four weeks after surgery, her new look going undetected.
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With her facelift news revealed, Bellino plans on sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the journey on social media and isn’t concerned about criticism she might get. “I think a decade or two ago I would’ve been affected by comments, and now I just don’t care,” she says, adding that her “approach to aging” is about building “thicker skin” from being in the public eye.
Credit: Dr. John Layke
“You’re just like, ‘Okay, take it, or leave it. This is who I am.’ You know who you love; your circle is very small. I want women to feel empowered.”
She has the same attitude toward plastic surgery. “I don’t wear makeup now when I go out. I don’t worry about my laugh lines. If I feel better, then why not? That’s what the doctors are here for.”
Additional procedures are not in the near future for Bellino. She eventually wants to remove her breast implants — “That’s [a procedure] that I wished I hadn’t done so young,” she says— but any other surgeries, besides a facelift maintenance, won’t be done for a “very long time.”
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