Breast implants are so common in Hollywood that we may not even realize some of our favorite stars went under the knife years ago to get them. Case in point: Melissa Gilbert hasn't exactly been outspoken about plastic surgery in the past, so when the 50-year-old Little House on the Prairie and Dancing With the Stars star announced in a New Year's Eve blog post that she planned to get her breast implants removed, the reaction was generally, "Wait, what? Melissa Gilbert had implants?!"
That she … did.
In her post, cheekily entitled "A Tale of Two Titties," Melissa announces that she's having her breast implants removed, because:
A. I am concerned for my health and 2. I don't like the way they look or feel. Frankly, I'd like to be able to take a Zumba class without the fear that I'll end up with two black eyes.
She reflects on how many years ago, after breastfeeding her son Dakota, her husband remarked that her breasts were "socks full of marbles with knots at the top." What the …?! But it's what set the wheels in motion for her to get her breasts augmented "without doing any research," she writes.
Fast-forward to 2004 when the actress learned implants need to be replaced periodically — and did just that. "I couldn't shake the idea that my implants had a shelf life," she reveals. "They would have to have them replaced every 10-15 years for the rest of my life. It was possible that at 80 years old I might have to get new implants! Huh?? I also began thinking a lot about the silicone in my body and what might go wrong."
And who could blame her? Unfortunately, many women don't know that you have to get implants replaced periodically. In fact, on a recent episode of her show TrueTORI, Tori Spelling admitted she was also unaware when she first got her problematic ones.
As it turns out, Melissa was haunted with worry through her time on DWTS (which she says was horrible for her body image, BTW) — and basically up until 2013 when she had a run-in with a 300-pound patio cover that collapsed over her head. "It was like the universe smacking me in the head and screaming, 'WAKE UP MELISSA!!!!'" she writes.
The incident caused her to realize it was high time to have her implants removed. Her first consultation went horribly — she was told it would take 9-12 hours and cost $38K! — but ultimately, she found another doctor who said the procedure should take no more than four hours, cost considerably less, and the implant removal would be covered by her insurance. Awesome!
Then just this past Tuesday, Melissa tweeted:
Embedded content: https://twitter.com/MelissaEGilbert/status/552509211654238208
Congrats to her!
It's far too easy to just stick with a decision — even one that could so significantly impact your health — because you opted for it initially. It's much tougher to see a wake-up call for what it is, realize it's time to change course, and then do just that. Not only does Melissa deserve a pat on the back for taking care of herself, her story and message that we are all "perfectly beautiful" are sure to inspire.
What's the biggest health mistake like this that you ever had to correct?
Image via Getty Images
