RHONJ’s Jennifer Fessler Talks Getting a Natural-Looking Facelift at 54

When Real Housewives of New Jersey “friend of” Jennifer Fessler decided to undergo a facelift procedure, she did her homework, for years she says. Her castmates, like Dolores Catania and Margret Josephs, have been very vocal about the procedures they’ve had done and Fessler says she researched every doctor in her friend circle as well as the entire tri-state area. The surgeon she chose wasn’t one who had worked on her reality star friends, but after countless consultations it was New York plastic surgeon Sam Rizk, MD that she says was the perfect fit for her facial transformation.

One reason Fessler decided to finally undergo a facelift after season 13 filming wrapped was Dr. Rizk’s honesty about what she did and didn’t need. “I went in thinking that I needed a blepharoplasty in addition to a facelift and he said no. He did point out that my nose was droopy, which has bothered me for quite some time. I had considered a rhinoplasty in the past but didn’t ever follow through. So for my surgery, I opted for the deep-plane facelift, necklift and a rhinoplasty.”

Dr. Rizk says Fessler’s brow was in good position and she didn’t have enough skin to excise so her eyes would have looked too tight. “A blepharoplasty would have made her look fake,” he explains. “What would have stood out after her facelift would have been her nose. It was not proportional and was too wide for her narrow face. She would have noticed it even more after the facelift it also bothered her.”

Fessler says she knew she wanted a “deep-plane facelift” after seeing the results of others, like Sonja Morgan, who reemerged from quarantine with a fresher, younger-looking face. “She looks fabulous. I guess that’s sort of how it blew up and deep-plane started to be the new buzzword. When I was researching doctors, that’s the type of facelifts that they are all doing, and I picked Dr. Rizk because his looked so natural.”

As far as timing, Fessler says she is happy with her results, even if viewers can’t see her new look on screens yet. “I feel like a million bucks,” she adds. “My nose looks more in proportion and my facelift and necklift results are so great. I was at Melissa Gorga’s Super Bowl party three days after my procedure. My recovery and healing went so smoothly and everyone is saying how great I look. I couldn’t be more grateful.”