Did Melania Trump have a secret $50,000 face-lift – top US surgeon gives his verdict facial plastic surgery of former FLOTUS as she releases memoir

It’s been widely speculated Melania Trump gets her snatched modlesque look from various surgeries and tweakments. 

The former First Lady, 54, and wife to former US president Donald Trump, 78, is famous  high cheek bones, and age-defying plump lips and smooth skin.

But the Slovenian ex-model, who released her memoir called ‘Melania’ on October 8 where she touched on her support of abortion rights, has denied ever having plastic surgery.

Yet, Dr Gary Linkov, top US plastic surgeon based in New York estimates Melania has spent a whopping $203,000 (£155,335) on plastic surgery including a $50,000 (£38,260) face-lift. 

In a YouTube video that has amassed 350K views, Dr Linkov suggests she may have had extensive cosmetic work including a nose job, fillers, Botox, cheek implants and even a face-lift. 

Exploring her transformation through the decades, Dr Linkov starts showing an image of Melania from 1987 when she was just 17.

He highlights her full eyebrows, almond shaped eyes, nose with natural ‘bulbosity’ with a roundness at the point of her nose and balanced lower and upper lip. Her strong cheekbones are also pinpointed as a natural characteristic of her face.

But as Dr Linkov compares images of her at 28, he highlights that the ‘tip of her nose looks less bulbous’ and adds that ‘the dorsal lump’ on the bridge of the nose is less prominent, suggesting she may have had a nose job by 1998. 

Then an image of her at 29 appears to show she has fuller lips. Dr Linkov suggests that because filler was not FDA approved until 2003, she may have used collagen or microdroplet silicone.

Fast-forwarding to 2004, when Melania is 34, and her cheeks look fuller. 

‘I wonder perhaps is she’s had cheek implants because there is so much regularity to both of the cheeks and there’s more projection that I think would have been to get to this state with filler alone.’

Dr Linkov highlights that Melania’s eyes appear smaller at age 37, which he explained could be due to a brow lift that may have created a cat eye look. 

An image of her at 29, pictured left in 1999, appears to show she has fuller lips. Dr Linkov suggests that because filler was not FDA approved until 2003, she may have used collagen or microdroplet silicone. Later at age 52 (pictured right in 2021) her neck skin and jawline look smoother — something which could have been fixed with a face-lift Dr Linkov says

He adds that she may have also started getting Botox on her forehead and to the crow’s feet on the sides of her eyes around this time. 

Examining a image of her at 38 where her eyes appear even smaller, Dr Linkov suggests the Botox in her forehead may have caused her brows to weigh heavier on her eyes. 

He said: ‘The frontalis muscle is the only muscle that actually elevates our eyebrows. So, when you heavily inject neurotoxin into that muscle, what happens is it gets more paralyzed. When that occurs the brows start to weigh down and as that happens, the eyes might start to appear smaller.’

Another change in Melania’s face is seen in 2012 at the age of 42 as some early signs of ‘jowling’ become visible. This a lump that develops on the jawline as the cheek starts to see the effects of gravity and drop. 

Melania appears to have more forehead wrinkles and bigger eyes two years later in 2014, which could be a result of less Botox, Dr Linkov suggests. 

More general signs of aging such as loss of neck skin laxity and the corners of her lips becoming downturned are seen in pictures of her at 49. 

But later at age 52 her neck skin and jawline look smoother — something which could have been fixed with a face-lift Dr Linkov says. 

However, because many images of Melania have her with her hair covering her ears and the sides of her face i’ts hard to look for any signs of scaring or changes to her ears to confirm if she has had a face-lift. 

But other procedures such as skin tightening radiofrequency may have also rectified any drooping of the skin, Dr Linkov admits. 

Melania Trump, pictured left in an undated image and right in 2020, has denied having any plastic surgery, telling GQ in 2016 that she was ‘against Botox’ and ‘against filler.’

Melania has consistently denied having any plastic surgery, telling GQ in 2016 that she was ‘against Botox’ and ‘against filler.’

She said: ‘I didn’t make any changes. A lot of people say I am using all the procedures for my face. I didn’t do anything.

‘I live a healthy life, I take care of my skin and my body. It’s all me. I will age gracefully, as my mom does.’

Plastic surgeon to the stars Dr Gary Motykie has also previously told Daily Mail.com that he doesn’t see ‘much reason to be suspicious for a face-lift’. 

Instead he suggested she has had a nose job and fillers and spent roughly $45,000 to $50,000 on her appearance.

‘[But] I have noticed a change in her nose. Noses don’t typically get smaller as they get older, they get bigger — but hers is definitely smaller and more defined, so I am very suspicious for at least one rhinoplasty [nose job],’ he said. 

‘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,’ he added.