Melania Trump Appearances That Sent Plastic Surgery Speculation Into Overdrive

Many rich and famous people have used plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery to achieve their desired looks. Not only did Melania Trump inspire a plastic surgery trend, but she has also often been at the center of plastic surgery speculation from curious netizens. She was adamant in a July 2011 interview with Allure that she hadn't had Botox injections, despite reports claiming otherwise. "I'd never do anything on my face or my body," Melania said at the time. "I think you age naturally — everybody's aging. What's the purpose? If you have Botox done and full lips and all that, if it makes you happy, fine. But it's not for me."

Speaking to GQ in 2016, Melania again dismissed claims she'd had work done. "I didn't do anything," she said. "I live a healthy life, I take care of my skin and my body. I'm against Botox, I'm against injections; I think it's damaging your face, damaging your nerves. It's all me. I will age gracefully, as my mom does." 

However, even those past anti-Botox claims didn't stop critics from being suspicious about Melania's looks and wondering how natural they really are. As her husband Donald Trump has continued his political career, Melania has been faced with more and more plastic surgery rumors.

An X, formerly known as Twitter, user in February 2024 shared comparison photos of Melania Trump from two separate times in her life. A photo of what looked like Melania during her teenage years was juxtaposed with a photo of an adult Melania, and there did seem to be a difference in some facial features — mainly around the nose and eyes. Many commenters on the post agreed with the speculation that plastic surgery could be what caused the change. Some even went as far as to say that Melania was unrecognizable after her rumored plastic surgery and that she seemed to not even be the same person she was before.

Why does Melania Trump have an alien look?
Quite a bit of plastic surgery. pic.twitter.com/dCg04iGIEP

— Mynameis...Miro (@zg4ever) February 3, 2024

In fact, The List spoke with a plastic surgeon who speculated how Melania achieved her transformation. Dr. Dan Yamini from Visthetic Surgery Institute and Med Spa is a board-certified Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. He suggested Melania could have gone for procedures such as rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, a neck lift, and a facelift. Yamini also offered other possible cosmetic explanations for her look. None of that has been confirmed by Melania herself.

One of the biggest Melania Trump rumors on the internet (besides the plastic surgery speculation) is that a fake Melania body double is sometimes the one seen out and about. Sometime after those rumors hit the internet and went viral in 2017, they were dismissed by then-communications director for Melania, Stephanie Grisham. Grisham called it "a ridiculous non-story" while speaking to CNN. That didn't stop social media users from continuing the #FakeMelania speculation for years after.

One of those instances was in October 2020, when photos of Melania and Donald Trump boarding one of the presidential helicopters went viral. The hubbub about a Melania doppelganger was again disproven by multiple outlets, but before then, X users had a field day. One person retweeted the suspicious photo and said, "You guys ... I don't like conspiracy theories ... but ... I will say that Melanie [sic] uhhh did something very very different with her makeup and had a nose job and dissolved some filler."

You guys...I don't like conspiracy theories...but...I will say that Melanie uhhh did something very very different with her makeup and had a nose job and dissolved some filler. https://t.co/fdCbY32YsL

— Linz DeFranco (@LinzDeFranco) October 25, 2020

It's unclear if the X user's claims on Melania's dissolved fillers and plastic surgery were serious or facetious.

After being absent for most of the week, Melania Trump showed up for the final day of the 2024 Republican National Convention. A couple weeks after that appearance, plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Motykie spoke with the Daily Mail about predicted plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures that the Trump family might have had over the years. He told the outlet that he figured Melania had undergone rhinoplasty due to her nose seemingly shrinking and continued, "I do think she's likely doing the maintenance work as well — fillers, particularly in the mid-face, cheeks, maybe a touch in the lips, and the standard Botox upkeep."

Some netizens thought they noticed a difference in Melania's eyes at the RNC. The Daily Mail reported that some called her "wide-eyed" afterward. Motykie felt it was possible Melania had filler or Botox that wore off by the time the RNC rolled around, causing her eyes to change from their usual sharp look. As for the price tag for the potential work, Motykie told the Daily Mail it could've been up to $50,000 total.

Something that isn't often discussed when rumors of celebrity plastic surgery go around is that sometimes, plastic surgery has practical reasons and isn't solely about outward appearance. While doing an extensive analysis of Melania Trump's changing looks in a September 2024 video called "Melania Trump's NEW FACE," plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Linkov pointed this out. Linkov discussed how her nose looked different in a 1998 photo (as seen above) than it had in a 1987 photo. He added, "And sometimes cosmetic rhinoplasties are done alongside a more functional rhinoplasty where attempts are made to improve someone's nasal breathing as well." Of course, there is no proof that Melania had a rhinoplasty done or, if she did, what the reason was. 

While discussing a photo of Melania from 2002 later in the video, Linkov gave two reasons why some of her features may not look the same as they used to. "And her philtrum, or the distance between the base of the nose and the tip of the Cupid's bow, is now longer than it was in her teenage years," Linkov said, before explaining that could be from the after-effects of a nose job or just normal skin changes that go hand-in-hand with aging. 

Linkov assumed Melania had some other work done based on his evaluation of photos from 1987 to 2024. He guessed that she'd spent over $200,000 on various plastic surgeries or cosmetic procedures on her face.

If Melania Trump hoped the body double rumors petered out after Donald Trump's first term, she would be disappointed to know that they hit the internet again during Election Day 2024. Melania showed up to the polls in a polka-dotted dress and a large pair of black sunglasses, and the speculation started again.

A cosmetic plastic surgeon named Dr. Dennis Schimpf told the Daily Mail she might have gotten some filler assuming Donald would win the election and that they would be in the media a lot afterward. "She could have had some undereye and cheek filler," Schimpf said. "That often causes bruising, so it makes sense that she would be wearing sunglasses." He doubled down on filler claims after seeing her without the sunglasses from that same day, based on the lines on her face.

A different plastic surgeon named Dr. Thomas Barnes told the outlet that if Melania looked different, it was because of the stress of Donald's political campaign. He also thought the sunglasses could've been to hide something that went wrong with her makeup and not any cosmetic procedures. Whether that was the case or not, Melania ditched the shades on Election Night while joining her husband and her family onstage for Donald's victory speech.