Simmons, Gene
From Make Me Heal
He said, “I was always delusional about myself and I continue to be so — even though when I looked in the mirror I saw jowls and chins and stuff like that — it never really bothered me because sort of how I carried myself,” Simmons told People in a recent interview. “The before and after is actually quite striking, because the after sort of shows what could have been better that I couldn’t see because I was delusional about it… I was in-love with myself and blind of my faults.” Regarding the matching facelifts with wife and playmate Tweed, rockstar Simmons had the whole procedure filmed for his reality TV show "Family Jewels," which can be seen on youtube.com (click to view Gene Simmons surgery video). The plastic surgeon who operated on Simmons and Tweed is celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan.
Going Once! Going Twice! And Sold! A Double Facelift for Gene Simmons and Wife Shannon Tweed
The following article is reprinted from Make Me Heal 's Celebrity Plastic Surgery News. The article, along with photos can be found at the following link: Going Once! Going Twice! And Sold! A Double Facelift for Gene Simmons and Wife Shannon Tweed.
OK. So it didn’t exactly go down like that, but lovers rocker Gene Simmons and former playmate Shannon Tweed did get matching facelifts together. They actually got them back in November, however, and the whole process was filmed and will be part of Simmons’ hit reality TV show “Family Jewels”, set for premiere on March 25, which was this past Sunday. Simmons was already so in love with himself and unaware that he needed plastic surgery: “I was always delusional about myself and I continue to be so — even though when I looked in the mirror I saw jowls and chins and stuff like that — it never really bothered me because sort of how I carried myself,” Simmons, 57, told People in a recent interview. “The before and after is actually quite striking, because the after sort of shows what could have been better that I couldn’t see because I was delusional about it… I was in-love with myself and blind of my faults.”
Shannon Tweed, 50, was afraid of him getting anything done because she didn’t want him to look younger than her. Tweed also thought she was pregnant, but after it turned out to be a false alarm, she gave him the green light, and they got facelifts together. Raw video footage of the surgery can be seen on youtube.com (click to view Gene Simmons surgery video).
It seems that the procedures cost $40,000 each. That may seem like a whole lot, but it is rumored that in the end, the procedures were free, according to Dr. Frank Ryan (www.drfrankryan.com), who was the surgeon who operated on the couple. Beverly Hills based Dr. Ryan operated on Simmons for 11 hours straight. Their two kids, Nick, 18, and Sophie, 14, were really concerned for their parents, but everything turned out fine, especially after the terrifying bandaged face which Simmons was sporting right after surgery. Simmons had both a facelift, eyelid surgery, and liposuction. Tweed had a face lift and a lower lid adjustment.
Watching the first episode of the second season of Family Jewels, viewers get to go under Simmons’ skin while Dr. Ryan lifts and flips over Simmons’ facial skin and nips away at his underlying muscles and jowls. During the surgery, Dr. Ryan cracks some funny jokes about Simmons’ skin being thick and leathery. Following the surgery, Simmons’ face is completely banged up, swollen like a pinhead, and bruised beyond recognition. Horrified and amused at the same time, Simmons’ kids compare their father’s face to Pat Norita of Karate Kid fame.
Despite all the pain, anguish, and the two week wait for the results, the couple came out looking better than ever with no tell-tale signs of the surgeries (see photo on left taken two weeks after the surgeries). Daughter Sophie was afraid they wouldn’t look like her parents anymore, since they never had anything done their whole lives. This is quite doubtful considering that Mommie dearest was a Playboy centerfold (think breast augmentation honey). However, it seems that the couple makeover route was a wise decision for the two. They look young and awesome! Not to mention that filming the surgery for the reality show should be healthy for the show’s ratings.
Now Gene Simmons has a real reason to be in love with himself…all over again.
Photo: courtesy of A&E
