Lisa Rinna has a face that basically belongs to the world at this point. Between her decades on Days of Our Lives and her explosive, wine-tossing run on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she’s never really been out of the spotlight. But if you ask most people what they associate her with first, it isn’t the acting. It’s the mouth. Specifically, that pillowy, sometimes-controversial upper lip.
What a lot of fans don’t realize is that there was a whole version of Lisa Rinna before the "trout pout" era began.
In the mid-80s, Lisa was just another aspiring actress in Los Angeles with a fresh face and a naturally pretty, though much thinner, smile. She had a defined Cupid's bow and a look that was very "girl next door." Then, 1986 happened.
The Beaches Influence and the 1986 Injection
It sounds like a plot from a movie because, well, it started with one.
Lisa has been incredibly candid over the years about the exact moment she decided to change her face. She was 24 years old. She had just watched the movie Beaches, and she became absolutely obsessed with Barbara Hershey’s full, bee-stung pout. Honestly, we’ve all been there—seeing a celebrity look and thinking, I need that immediately. But instead of buying a new lipstick, Lisa and her best friend went and got permanent silicone injections.
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This wasn't the temporary hyaluronic acid filler people get today that eventually dissolves. This was liquid silicone. At the time, it seemed like a "one and done" solution for the look she wanted. In those early years, specifically when she landed the role of Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives in 1992, her lips looked full and trendy. They helped her stand out. She’s even joked that her lips "had a career of their own" because they became such a signature part of her brand.
When the Silicone Started Fighting Back
Fast forward about a decade, and the "permanent" solution started turning into a nightmare.
The thing about liquid silicone is that the body doesn't always love it. Over time, scar tissue began to form around the silicone droplets in Lisa's upper lip. She started noticing the texture was changing. It wasn't soft anymore. She’s described the sensation as feeling like "peas" or "hard bumps" inside her skin.
By the late 2000s, the distortion was becoming harder to hide.
The public was ruthless. Every red carpet photo was picked apart by tabloids. People started calling her "trout pout," and the mockery eventually got to her. It wasn't just about vanity anymore; it was about the fact that her lips were literally hardening and becoming "yucky," as she famously told Hoda Kotb.
She tried to fix it with cortisone shots, hoping to reduce the inflammation and the bumps. It backfired. Instead of shrinking the tissue, the shots made the lip look even more swollen and uneven.
The 2010 Surgery to Find the "Old" Lisa
By 2010, Lisa had reached a breaking point. She told People magazine, "My lips started to define who I am." She hated that her mouth was the first thing people noticed instead of her work or her personality.
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She eventually found Dr. Garth Fisher, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who told her he could actually reconstruct the lip. This was a big deal because, for years, she was told the damage from the 1986 silicone was irreversible.
The procedure involved:
- Cutting into the upper lip to physically remove the hardened silicone and scar tissue.
- Re-contouring the remaining tissue to create a more natural shape.
- Reducing the overall volume of the lip by about 30%.
If you look at photos of Lisa from late 2010 and 2011, you can actually see the difference. She could see her teeth when she smiled again—something that had been obscured for years. Her husband, Harry Hamlin, was supportive, though he famously said he never really cared about the lips to begin with; he was always an "eyes guy."
Why the "Pre Lips" Conversation Matters Today
We live in an era where 20-year-olds are getting "preventative" filler like it’s a standard manicure. Lisa Rinna is basically the cautionary tale that lived to tell the story.
She doesn't hate plastic surgery—she still loves her Botox and has been open about her cheek filler mishaps—but she is a fierce advocate for knowing exactly what you’re putting in your body. The "pre lips" version of Lisa was beautiful, but the "post-reduction" Lisa is someone who finally felt like herself again.
What You Can Learn from the Rinna Evolution
If you're looking at your own reflection and thinking about a permanent change, keep these things in mind:
- Permanent is a long time. Trends change. What looked like Barbara Hershey in 1988 might look like a "trout pout" in 2008.
- Dissolvable is safer. Modern fillers (like Juvederm or Restylane) can be reversed. Silicone cannot be "undone" without a scalpel.
- Scar tissue is unpredictable. You might love the look on day one, but your body’s inflammatory response ten years later is a total wildcard.
Before making any permanent cosmetic decisions, consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss the long-term tissue changes associated with different types of fillers. Review your family history for autoimmune or inflammatory issues that might increase your risk of granulomas or hardening over time.