Registered Nurse Injector Explains Yolanda Hadid's Transformation

Yolanda Hadid is a former model, a reality TV star, and the mother of three well-known children: Bella, Gigi, and Anwar Hadid. She's also someone who's been honest about plastic surgery. The woman with a famous face "has previously spoken out about how she stopped getting Botox injections and dermal fillers years ago after being diagnosed with Lyme [disease]," Harper's Bazaar noted. Beyond that, she "had her silicone breast implants removed on an episode of Real Housewives back in 2016 after learning that she had silicone free-floating in her body."

The star also uses social media to keep fans updated on her health, taking to Instagram in 2015 to share that she was "down to the bare bones of the original 1964 model," she explained that while she's been "[f]orced to honor [her] authentic self," she's "respectfully owning it!!!" She seemed just as positive in 2019 when posting to Instagram again about "[l]iving in a body free of breast implants, fillers, botox, extensions," and what she deemed was "the bulls**t" she thought she needed "until the toxicity of it all almost killed [her]." 

She admitted that it took her "many years of undoing some bad choices" before she "found the freedom to sustainable internal beauty and acceptance of what is the best version of [her]self by nobody's standards but [her] own." While Hadid has obviously experienced an emotional transformation, Kristina Kitsos, a registered nurse injector, gave Nicki Swift some exclusive insight into what the star experienced physically while undoing what she'd had done to her body.

There's no doubt that Yolanda Hadid is a beautiful woman, but opting for cosmetic procedures resulted in certain changes in her appearance over the years. Registered nurse injector Kristina Kitsos told Nicki Swift that "it appears as though she has had nicely placed Botox in her forehead and eye area that has prevented the skin from looking wrinkled and aged."

Kitsos explained that "[g]etting Botox on a consistent basis maintains the brow position and prevents the inevitable brow droop that comes with age." Because of that, Hadid's "facial features have stayed very youthful." On top of that, our expert says that Hadid has likely "had some well-placed fillers in her cheeks, lips, and temple area, all of which work together to maintain a youthful and full look to her face."

Granted, Kitsos was sure to explain that when it comes to her "patients with autoimmune diseases, including Lyme disease like Yolanda has," the professional is "extremely cautious" about what she injects. "They are much more likely to have allergic reactions and systemic reactions to fillers and implants," Kitsos noted. That's likely also something Hadid's medical team had to consider when she had the work reversed.

While Yolanda Hadid has explained why she decided to remove Botox and fillers from her body, you might be wondering how she did it. Answer: one wears off while the other has to be dissolved.

"Botox works by blocking receptors in the muscles that receive chemical messages from the brain to contract," registered nurse injector Kristina Kitsos explained to Nicki Swift. Apparently, "[b]ecause those receptors are blocked, even if your brain says the chemical messengers are telling that muscle to contract, it won't contract." If you no longer want Botox, it simply wears off, and "usually after 3-4 months, the receptor sites become unblocked, and nerves will again be able to send signals to the muscle receptors and the muscles will start contracting again."

As for fillers, Kitsos says that in "most cases, hyaluronic acid fillers are used to plump up the face and fill in wrinkles." Hyaluronic acid "is a substance that is naturally present in the human body, and because it has an amazing ability to bind water, it plays a big role in keeping the skin hydrated and volumized." To have fillers removed, "an enzyme called hyaluronidase" is injected. Our expert explained that it just takes a few days for the enzyme to work, meaning that "the hyaluronic acid filler dissolves and is processed by the body and broken down and eliminated from the body." And that's not all that the body goes through.

Yolanda Hadid may have gone back to a cosmetic procedure-free version of herself, however, "[l]ooking 'natural' is very subjective," registered nurse injector Kristina Kitsos noted. While telling Nicki Swift that what a body looks like after Botox and fillers are removed "depends on the volume and number of years that you have been getting injections." Kitsos explained that if "you have been only using small amounts for a short while" or if you're younger, it's more likely that "your skin snaps back into place" in a timely manner.

If you're not on the younger side or have been getting cosmetic procedures for an extended period of time, "[y]ou will go back to looking like yourself once everything is gone, but because your skin has aged, you will most likely look older and possibly a bit stretched out." Our expert tells us that this "is because if the filler is holding space, once that volume is gone, redundant or saggy skin can occur."

These days, it seems like Hadid is more comfortable in her skin and encouraging her followers to love themselves, too, writing on Instagram, "It's on us to learn to love our selves [sic] and celebrate our unique, one of a kind beauty at all ages as we move through this journey called 'life,' Beauty has no meaning without your health."