Lisa Rinna is a pioneer. Honestly, she says it herself. Most people look at the Real Housewives star today and see the "trout pout" that launched a thousand memes, but the real story started way back in 1986.
It wasn't some complex Hollywood makeover. It was a whim. A 23-year-old Lisa Rinna was sitting in a theater watching the movie Beaches. She saw Barbara Hershey’s full, pillowy lips on the big screen and decided, right then and there, that she needed that look.
She didn't go to a world-renowned surgeon for a multi-step transformation. She went with a girlfriend.
The Reality of Surgery Lisa Rinna 80s Decisions
When we talk about surgery Lisa Rinna 80s style, we aren't talking about the sophisticated fillers of 2026. Back then, things were... different. There was no Juvéderm. There was no dissolving a mistake if you didn't like it.
Rinna opted for permanent silicone injections.
It was a quick procedure. Four injections of permanent silicone into her upper lip. That’s it. For the first decade, she actually loved it. It became her "thing." Before the Melrose Place fame and before she was a household name, those lips were already working. She often jokes that her lips have had a career entirely separate from her own.
"I was crazy to even touch them in the first place," she told People back in 2010. "In the beginning, it was great."
But silicone doesn't just sit still. It's a foreign substance. Over time, her body reacted. The silicone began to migrate, seeping into the surrounding tissue. It didn't just stay a "pout." It started to create scar tissue that felt hard and bumpy—she described it as feeling like "peas" inside her lip.
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Why the 80s "Fix" Became a Decades-Long Problem
The thing about permanent silicone is that it's, well, permanent. You can't just wait for it to wear off like a modern lip flip. By the time the 90s rolled around and Rinna was a soap opera staple on Days of Our Lives, the swelling was becoming unpredictable.
She tried to fix it with cortisone shots. Bad idea.
The cortisone was meant to reduce the inflammation and the "lumps," but it actually made the lip look more bulbous and distorted in photos. This is where the media circus really started. People began to lambaste her online. The "trout pout" label stuck, and it hurt.
It wasn't just about vanity anymore. The lip was physically changing. It was becoming the only thing people noticed about her.
The Turning Point: 2010 Lip Reduction
After 24 years of living with the 1986 decision, Rinna finally decided to go under the knife again. This time, it wasn't to get bigger—it was to get smaller.
In August 2010, she saw Dr. Garth Fisher, a famous Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. This wasn't a simple "removal." You can't just vacuum out hardened silicone that has woven itself into muscle and tissue. Dr. Fisher had to physically cut into the lip, remove the damaged scar tissue and the silicone "lumps," and then reconstruct the shape.
- The Procedure: Upper lip reduction surgery.
- The Recovery: It took about six months for the swelling to fully subside.
- The Result: A 30% reduction in volume and a much smoother texture.
She was thrilled. For the first time in years, she could smile and actually see her teeth. Her husband, Harry Hamlin, was surprisingly supportive, even though he claimed he’d loved her lips exactly as they were for the 18 years they’d been together at that point.
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It Wasn't Just the Lips
While the surgery Lisa Rinna 80s narrative centers on her mouth, her look evolved in other ways during that era. If you look at photos from 1985 versus 1989, the changes are subtle but present.
She's been very open about her breast implants too.
After her daughter Amelia was born, she had saline implants. Later, she swapped those for silicone. She once admitted to having massive 335cc implants that she eventually found painful and "too much" for her frame. She downsized those too.
She’s a self-proclaimed "pioneer" of being honest about what she’s done. In a town where everyone pretends they just "drink a lot of water," Rinna’s bluntness is actually kind of refreshing. She admits to Botox. She admits to fillers. She even recently shared a "fail" with SkinVive injections in 2024 that made her face look too puffy, and she promptly had them dissolved.
What We Can Learn from the Rinna Timeline
Lisa Rinna is the "poster child for what not to do on a whim," her own words.
The biggest takeaway from her 80s surgery journey is the danger of permanent fillers. Modern aesthetics have moved almost entirely toward hyaluronic acid because it’s reversible. Silicone is a commitment that many people, including Rinna, eventually regret.
If you're looking at her 80s journey as a cautionary tale, here is the expert "cheat sheet" for avoiding the same pitfalls:
- Avoid Permanent Fillers: Silicone is high-risk. Always opt for temporary, dissolvable options like HA fillers (Restylane, Juvéderm).
- Don't Chase Trends: The "Beaches" look was a trend. Trends fade; permanent surgery doesn't.
- Scar Tissue is Real: Every time you inject or cut, you risk internal scarring that can change your face years down the line.
- Less is More: Rinna’s 2010 reduction proved that a natural balance often looks better than "more volume."
She’s 62 now and looks fantastic, mostly because she learned how to "pull back," as she says. She’s still the queen of the shag haircut and the big smile, but she’s no longer defined by a snap decision she made in a movie theater in the mid-80s.
Next Steps for Your Own Aesthetic Journey
If you're considering a procedure, the best thing you can do is research your surgeon's experience with revisions. Many doctors can do a first-time filler, but few are experts at removing old material or correcting "bumpy" results. Look for Board Certified Plastic Surgeons who specialize in facial reconstruction if you're dealing with old silicone or migrated filler.