One of the top plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills has urged Brandi Glanville to stop going under the knife until she can find the root cause of her facial disfigurement.
Glanville - who was previously diagnosed with stress-induced angioedema - shared a photo earlier this month and many branded her as unrecognizable, particularly due to her deflated, haggard cheeks.
The 52-year-old has said that she wants more surgery to fix her sagging face, but board-certified surgeon Dr. Jonathan Sykes - who has not personally treated Glanville - said that the embattled reality star should focus on identifying the cause of the problem first.
'No treatment should be performed until it's very clear what the original process was and that it's not ongoing,' he explained.
So far, Glanville claims to have spent over $70,000 trying to figure out what caused her facial decay.
The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star believes that it could be the result of a parasite.
While Dr. Sykes said that it's impossible to determine whether Glanville was suffering from a parasite without personally treating her, he did say that whatever is happening 'has caused a significant amount of dermal and subcutaneous tissue atrophy.'
Botched star Dr. Terry Dubrow recently dismissed Glanville's 'parasite' theory, telling TMZ that her misshapen skin and sunken cheeks were more likely the result of an infection.
Dr. Sykes said that once Glanville is able to determine exactly what's caused her facial disfigurement and is sure that it's no longer an ongoing issue, then the best cosmetic treatment would be 'some combination of creating volume, either with her own fat or with something else to volumize her face and to potentially lift up the subcutaneous tissue.'
Registered nurse and cosmetic injector Alex Pike also urged Glanville to refrain from any further aesthetic treatments.
'While I can't comment on specific aesthetic procedures, I would recommend putting those on hold for now - particularly as the underlying cause of Brandi’s concerns hasn't yet been pinpointed,' she warned.
Pike suggested that Glanville focus on her health and wellness while trying to diagnose the cause of her facial issues.
'When the body is under stress or the immune system is compromised, it can sometimes react in ways that affect skin health and overall wellbeing,' she said.
'In situations like this, it’s important to get back to basics and focus on foundational wellness.
'As a registered nurse and creator of the Inside Out Beauty program, I emphasize the importance of anti-inflammatory nutrition - such as salmon, leafy greens, blueberries, and turmeric - combined with hydration, quality sleep, gentle movement, and stress management.'
She continued, 'These simple yet powerful steps help reduce inflammation, support the immune system, and give the body space to heal naturally.
'The body has an incredible ability to recover when given the right tools, and prioritizing wellness first can provide the best foundation for sustainable healing and confidence.'
Glanville recently detailed how her struggles with her facial disfigurement have affected her life and mental health.
'It’s hard to hide out during Christmas when everyone’s having their parties. It’s depressing. It just hurts my brain and my heart,' she explained to Page Six.
The mother-of-two continued: 'The pain is more mental than anything, because I have been hiding and going through a deep, deep depression.
'Even if I could work now, at this point, I couldn’t. So it’s just been a really rough two years for me.'
She recently revealed that she's back to taking antibiotics after noticing her face had begun to 'sink in' while taking a break from the medication.
'I prefer [my face] when it's a little swollen, to be honest,' she said.
'When it's only swollen on one side, it's not great. But the sinking in thing is killing me slowly, because I just feel like I look like a crackhead.'
She even revealed that she sometimes wears a 'mask' around her two sons, Mason Edward, 21, and Jake Austin, 17, so they don't have to see her 'scary' face.
'They would try and calm me down and say I look normal and fine, but I knew better,' she recalled.
'I honestly scared them a couple times. They were like, "What is happening?" [My face] went from being like really fat and swollen to now, like, sinking in.'
At this point, she noted that she wants an answer about her condition 'so desperately' and doesn't 'f**king know' if there's a parasite in her face or what is causing her symptoms.
'You could do anything you want to me, and I'd be OK with it,' she added. 'I've had days of looking normal, not weeks. I wish. But it comes and goes.'
Glanville stated that 'the right side of' her face was so swollen it looked like she 'had a really big meatball in the right side' of her cheek.
'Whenever I get the chills, it's generally an infection,' she continued. 'Then I start having the ticking in my ear, and then whatever's in my face, moving around, started moving around again. And it starts sinking in again.'