Bristol Palin: I’ve Had 9 Surgeries to Correct ‘Botched’ Breast Reduction 

Finally on the mend. Bristol Palin opened up about undergoing her ninth breast reconstruction surgery after a reduction left her with “tissue damage” and “scarring.“

“Sharing wayyyyy tmi right now, but had my 9th breast reconstruction surgery last night – yes, NINTH all stemming from a botched breast reduction I had when I was 19 y/o,” Palin, 32, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, January 26. “I’ve had previous surgeries trying to correct that initial damage of muscle tissue and terrible scaring. The whole situation has honestly made me very self-conscious my entire adult life. Praying that this is the last surgery needed.”

The Alaska native sported a black sweatsuit, undereye patches and a compression bra in the post, which had seemingly had surgical drains filled with red fluid attached.

The fromer Teen Mom OG star, who is the eldest daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, explained that she hates “being a whiner” but the surgeries “put a setback/pause on life,” causing her to be “MIA.” 

She added, “[I’m] trying my hardest to stay positive, hype myself up and remind myself that I have so much to be thankful for. I’m healthy, fully capable, and this is just an inconvenience cause things could always be worse.” 

This isn’t the first time Bristol has dealt with the difficult aftermath of cosmetic surgery. In May 2021, the real estate agent opened up about undergoing a tummy tuck procedure in 2018. 

“Way [too] easy to compare ourselves on here, just a reminder not to,” she captioned an Instagram video at the time. “Let’s get reeeel [sic] for a sec,” she captioned the video. “I post what I want y’all to see. From decent angles and not from insecurities/scars (visible or not).”

The Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far author then expanded further on the surgery during an Instagram Q&A that same day, sharing that she consulted an “incredible’ doctor out of Texas, but the process was anything but easy. “It was done in early 2018,” she said. “I don’t regret it. But recovery was, (without a doubt) thee [sic] worst pain of my entire life.”

Bristol has often gotten candid about all aspects of her personal life. In August 2018, she finalized her divorce from Dakota Meyer. The two share daughters Sailor, 7, and Atlee, 5, She is also the mother of son Tripp, 14, who she shares with ex Levi Johnston. 

Two months after begin legally declared single, the reality star exclusively told Us Weekly about what it was like getting back into the dating world as a mom of three. 

“It’s a scary thing,” she shared with Us in October 2018. “I’ve got my hands full, and it’s kind of daunting. It’s not even on my mind right now. … There’s no, like, rule book on dating after a divorce. It’s just [a] weird concept. I haven’t dated in so long, I’m, like, an old woman with so many kids.”