Alexis Bellino is embracing her next chapter with confidence.
The former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star revealed that she recently underwent a facelift ahead of her milestone 50th birthday, which she’ll celebrate in January.
Bellino shared that the procedure was an early birthday gift to herself, saying she hopes to enter the new decade feeling “youthful and zesty.”
Bellino Opens Up About Her Facelift
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Bellino explained that the decision had been years in the making.
She said watching a pair of friends who underwent similar procedures at the same age helped shape her own thinking.
“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,” Bellino said. “I kind of feel like, learn from people that are older and wiser than me.”
Although she had long planned to have the surgery, not everyone in her family supported the idea.
Bellino said her children, who are now young adults, tried to convince her not to go through with it.
“They said, ‘Mom, please come on. Jesus Jugs, we’ve had enough of you and your stuff,’” she recalled with a laugh. “And so I just said, ‘Guys, you’ll get it when you’re 50.’”
Her husband, John Janssen, whom she married in October 2025, was also initially hesitant about the procedure.
According to Bellino, Janssen was “against” the facelift until he attended one of her consultations with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. John Layke.
After learning more about the procedure and hearing Bellino’s reasons, he became more supportive of her decision.
Bellino underwent the seven-hour surgery earlier this year, paying for it herself.
The operation included a mini facelift to address the middle portion of her face and soften her laugh lines, along with a neck lift, brow lift, upper blepharoplasty and a CO2 laser treatment designed to resurface the skin.
Bellino Says Recovery Was Difficult
While she’s pleased with the outcome, Bellino admitted the recovery process wasn’t easy.
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but it was not easy,” she said.
She described the healing process as “a whole different animal” compared to cosmetic procedures she’d experienced in the past.
The reality star added that the left side of her face healed more slowly than the right, but she remains confident the final results will continue to improve as time passes.
In fact, Bellino said she attended a red carpet event just four weeks after surgery, and no one realized she’d recently undergone the procedure.
Now that she’s publicly shared her experience, Bellino plans to give followers a behind-the-scenes look at her facelift journey on social media.
She’s also not worried about criticism.
“I think a decade or two ago I would’ve been affected by comments, and now I just don’t care,” she said, explaining that years in the public eye have helped her develop “thicker skin.”
“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.”
Although Bellino says she doesn’t plan on having another surgical procedure anytime soon, she did reveal there is one change she’d still like to make in the future.
The former Bravo star shared that she hopes to have her breast implants removed at some point.
