Karamo Brown recalls botched plastic surgery − 'The worst pain'

Edward Segarra, USA TODAYThu, June 4, 2026 at 3:17 PM UTC

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If the truth can set you free, Karamo Brown is completely liberated.

The television personality and former "Queer Eye" star opened up about his plastic surgery journey, including his recovery from a botched procedure, in an interview with People magazine published Tuesday, June 2.

"I know there's other people suffering with their chronic pain," Brown, 45, told the outlet. "I was fortunate enough to have the resources to find somebody who could help me, but I want to tell people that you don't have to suffer alone. I wish I would have told people what I was going through and not allowed myself to just stay quiet."

After gaining about 70 pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown underwent a buccal fat removal as an alternative weight-loss remedy.

Karamo Brown attends The Hollywood Reporter and Tik Tok's Academy Award Nominee Celebration at Ardor in West Hollywood, California, on March 7, 2024.

Buccal fat refers to the natural fat tissues in the midface and lower face, responsible for the rounded soft jaw shape. The cosmetic surgery, which takes approximately one hour, removes the fat via a small incision inside the cheek, below the saliva duct.

"I was a big boy, and everyone online liked to tell me how much of a big boy I was," Brown said. "So, I was like, 'OK, maybe if I slim out my face, I'll be cute.' It turned into a year-and-a-half of pain."

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Brown said the surgery led to a painful buildup of saliva and scar tissue inside his cheeks: "There'd be times you'd see me smile, and it was tight. My cheeks would be big because they were full of saliva, full of scar tissue. I was in the worst pain."

In an attempt to reduce the swollen appearance of his cheeks, Brown said he embarked on a rigorous weight-loss journey − shedding 70 pounds − because "the more weight I lost, the less scar tissue you could see."

"The scar tissue and the saliva were still there, but because I was skinnier, it looked kind of normal," Brown continued. "I stopped eating because it helped the feeling of not having so much scar tissue."

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Brown also got candid on the emotional toll of his botched plastic surgery, which included navigating critical remarks from online commenters and even one of his "Queer Eye'" costars.

"People around will look at you differently and they don't say anything, but you feel it. That was equally as hurtful as how I saw myself," Brown said. "I even remember one of my former castmates was watching an old clip during the final season, and he was like, 'Oh, look how handsome he used to be.' I was like, 'OK, girl, I caught your little dig, but whatever.' Those types of things affect you. They hurt your feelings."

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The "Karamo" host later enlisted the help of Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Carl Truesdale, who oversaw a corrective procedure that removed the scar tissue in Brown's cheeks and treated his saliva glands.

"I felt embarrassed that I did this to myself," Brown said. "I would never do it now, but I couldn't live with the chronic pain anymore. I couldn't live with my mouth swelling up and not being able to talk."

He added: "I'm so thankful because I was in pain every night, every day. It was horrendous. Thanks to this doctor, I feel so much better. I'm smiling better, there's not saliva collecting, the scar tissue's gone. It's good."

However, Brown hasn't sworn off plastic surgery for good.

The reality-TV star said he underwent a blepharoplasty, a surgery removing excess skin from the eyelids, during his buccal fat recovery procedure.

"To be really transparent with y'all, I was like, 'While we're under, can you get rid of my bags?' I'm 45!" Brown said. The doctor "got rid of, like, 60% of my bags."

Contributing: Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Karamo Brown says botched plastic surgery was 'the worst pain'

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