Tamra Judge, known for her role on The Real Housewives of Orange County, is once again making headlines for her latest cosmetic procedure, a breast augmentation, despite having previously removed implants and publicly vowed to never get them again.
On the September 18 episode of her podcast Two Ts in a Pod, co-hosted with Teddi Mellencamp, Judge detailed her July 14 surgery, which was performed to correct what she called an “animation deformity.” According to Judge, the condition was diagnosed by her plastic surgeon, Dr. Donny Mowlds.
As defined by the National Library of Medicine, animation deformity occurs when “contraction of the pectoralis muscle against the breast implant” causes the implant and breast tissue to shift unnaturally. Judge explained, “I couldn’t wear low-cut shirts because I had a line, a crease that went through both sides of my boobs. It started to look like I had two boobs on each side if that makes sense.”
She went on to describe the underlying issue as more than just cosmetic. “My pec muscle detached from my chest and moved towards my shoulder,” Judge said. Though she claims the condition wasn’t painful, her rigorous workout routine appeared to worsen the issue over time.
Despite a previous decision to remove her implants five years ago due to suspected breast implant illness — which she believed had contributed to “autoimmune issues” — Judge opted for surgery once again. “I vowed to never do implants again,” she said during the episode.
This latest procedure included sewing the pectoral muscle back to her chest and placing new 150cc high-profile “gummy bear” implants over the muscle. Although her surgeon initially considered going up to 250cc, Judge said that size was ultimately deemed “too big” for her frame.
Her earlier implant removal came after she began experiencing symptoms she attributed to breast implant illness. “I had autoimmune issues that went away when I had them removed,” she said at the time, although she admitted on the podcast that stress may also have played a role in her symptoms.
The decision to go public was, in part, unplanned. Judge said a Real Housewives producer called her out on the change, which led to her 19-year-old daughter, Sophia, learning about the surgery unexpectedly. “I had a low-cut dress on in my next confessional look, and I’m doing group confessional with Sophia, and we’re talking about plastic surgery,” Judge recounted. “I didn’t know what to say… I couldn’t go into these great details about what really was the issue.”
Though she described the five-hour operation as leaving her in “two months of pain,” Judge seemed satisfied with the result. “I’m glad I had it done. I think they look beautiful,” she said. “They’re full, I can wear low-cut shirts now, it makes me want to wear low-cut shirts.”
Dr. Mowlds has become a go-to name for the reality star, having also performed her brow lift, emergency stomach reconstruction, and various skin resurfacing treatments including a CO2 laser and chemical peels in 2024.
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