At a Glance
- Jessie Ngatikaura shared specifics of her December facial surgery in a Jan. 14 video
- The procedure combined upper and lower blepharoplasty with facial fat grafting
- She still faces visible swelling three weeks post-op and expects full results in six months to a year
- Why it matters: The candid update gives followers a realistic timeline for facial surgery recovery
Jessie Ngatikaura, known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, has posted a detailed account of the facial surgery she underwent in December, walking followers through the operation, the healing hurdles, and the social-media backlash that followed.
Surgery Details and Recovery Timeline
In the Jan. 14 “Get Ready With Me” clip, Ngatikaura, 33, explained that her surgeon performed three procedures in one session:
- Upper blepharoplasty
- Lower blepharoplasty
- Facial fat grafting
She stressed that swelling remains pronounced at the three-week mark. “I feel like I have to preface every single video I post lately with the fact that I am extremely swollen still,” she said while applying makeup. “I just don’t think there’s any surgery, especially on your face, that you would look completely done in three weeks.”
Ngatikaura estimated that patients “start to feel like yourself again” around the five- to six-week point, though full settling can stretch from six months to a full year.
Healing Challenges
The reality star described the psychological toll of early recovery, calling it “like an identity crisis when you look in the mirror and you don’t look like yourself.” Physical discomfort included wearing protective goggles for “two days straight,” leaving her effectively blind. She admitted she has filmed her own recovery but is hesitant to post the footage.
“I have done a video of my recovery process of, like, what my face looked like the first few weeks, and it is terrifying,” she said. “I’m honestly debating posting it cause I know I’m gonna get a lot of hate, but I also want people to, like, know what to expect.”
Motivation and Expectations
Ngatikaura said she sought surgery after noticing eyeshadow “creasing” and hollow areas that appeared once she lost weight and dissolved previous filler. She told viewers she is “so happy” with the decision despite the rough patches, and she considers the procedure on par with getting filler: “It’s everyone’s own prerogative.”
Response to Online Criticism
Negative comments have flooded her pages since her Dec. 23 announcement. She now deletes appearance-focused remarks daily and attributes much of the hostility to projection. “When people comment negative things, it’s usually a projection of what they’ve been through in their life or what they’re currently going through,” she said.
Some followers suggested she was trying to resemble co-star Demi Engemann. Ngatikaura dismissed the claim, noting that viewers have said the two look alike since the show premiered. “If I’m changing things, maybe I’m trying to look less like her,” she joked, adding, “We both had stuff done, so it’s just kind of what it is.”
Ongoing Updates
Ngatikaura promised to continue posting progress reports as swelling subsides and final contours emerge, emphasizing transparency for anyone considering similar work. “Healing is a process,” she reminded viewers, encouraging patience for both herself and her audience.
Key Takeaways
- Combined eyelid and fat-graft surgery requires weeks of visible swelling
- Psychological adjustment can be as demanding as physical healing
- Public scrutiny intensifies when reality stars document cosmetic procedures
- Full cosmetic results typically need six months to a year to stabilize
