RHOC Alum Alexis Bellino Has Surgery for Breast Implant Complications, Says ‘Silicone Was Leaking’ (Exclusive)

Real Housewives of Orange County alum Alexis Bellino is downsizing after having complications with her breast implants.

The 48-year-old — known as “Jesus Jugs,” the infamous name Tamra Judge gave her in season 7 — opened up to PEOPLE about what led to her latest surgery and why she’s now encouraging others to think twice before going under the knife. 

The reality star has gotten breast implants four times — her first set when she was 19 years old. She recalls going against her mother’s wishes and even taking out a loan to get the cosmetic procedure.

“I was the first girl at the University of Missouri to ever get implants. It was the biggest deal ever. Everyone was in shock that I did that. And since then I've had three more,” she tells PEOPLE, noting that she got her last breast implants in 2008. 

However, three years ago, Bellino developed capsular contracture, which is when scar tissue around a breast implant tightens and becomes hard.

“I had that corrected in 2022. Unfortunately, about six months after that surgery, the contracture started to come back again,” she says. “Most of the time, when you have it, it does keep recurring.”

From that moment, Bellino started experiencing a “shooting pain” in her breast. It felt hard and uncomfortable, but “bearable enough" to disregard. She was adamant about not going under the knife again unless absolutely necessary.

However, earlier this year, Bellino realized she couldn’t ignore what was happening to her body anymore.

“My left breast started to raise and swell to the point where not only is it uncomfortable and hard, but now it's actually noticeable in photos,” she says. 

At that point, she was also experiencing new “bizarre” symptoms.

“I was feeling numbness and tingling in my arms,” she explains. “I kept telling [fiancé John Janssen], you know how your arm falls asleep when you're lying on it? I wasn't even lying on it. It was just constantly falling asleep.” 

“I just knew I had to do something about it,” she adds. 

Bellino decided to turn to a specialist in Beverly Hills to address her capsular contracture. They scheduled a corrective surgery for April 15. Unfortunately, during the procedure, Bellino’s doctor discovered that not only was she dealing with the capsular contracture, but her implant had also ruptured.

“I'm so thankful because honest to goodness, if I hadn't gone in, I would still be experiencing the numbness, all these aches. That silicone was actually leaking into my left breast. I mean, it was not a good thing,” she stresses.

Doctors were able to remove the ruptured implant and any remaining silicone. She received new, smaller breast implants and surgical mesh was added to provide support and reinforcement for the implants.

Following surgery, Bellino says doctors gave her a 70% chance of having a good outcome.

“I went smaller. So ‘Jesus Jugs’ is going down,” she quips. “I'm sure Tamra can come up with another nickname. It'll be ‘Little Jugs’ or ‘Jesus Jugs Jr.’ I don't know,” she adds with a laugh.

“We were discussing taking them out all the way and just going completely natural,” she admits. “But unfortunately, my doctor said, ‘You have zero breast tissue, so you will not only have scars everywhere for all of the skin, but you will be completely flat.’ So I was like, okay, I don't know if I can live with that, so we'll just take our chances and pray that this 70% actually works on me.”

Bellino is now home and recovering and says her fiancé is taking good care of her.

After going through this health scare, Bellino is now telling her daughters and Janssen’s daughters that they will not be allowed to get breast implants.

“I'm sorry. Yes, it's a double standard and I did it, but no. It's not an option because I have to deal with this the rest of my life now,” she says. “If I was 19 again, I would tell myself not to do it. I wish I would've just kept my small B-cup and been fine with it because now I can't not go under the knife if something happens.”

“But back then, I was adamant and no one was going to tell me no. So it's difficult to kind of put the message out there to your own children. However, I want them to understand that this is a serious issue,” she continues. 

Bellino tells PEOPLE that as she continues to heal from surgery, she’s hoping sharing her story will encourage all women to be more cautious, not just her daughters.

“I want everyone to think twice before cosmetic surgery at this point,” she says. “I know that's funny coming from ‘Jesus Jugs,’ but wisdom is key. I am a lot older now, so I am just speaking from the heart.”