If anyone has earned the right to do something purely for herself, it’s Teddi Mellencamp. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 45, who has spent the past few years navigating melanoma, now stage 4, just revealed she fit an upper blepharoplasty into an already packed week of cancer care.
Beverly Hills, CA facial plastic surgeon Sarmela Sunder, MD, shared behind-the-scenes footage of the procedure on Instagram Tuesday, October 13. It showed Mellencamp awake under local anesthesia as excess skin was removed from her upper lids. According to Dr. Sunder, the heaviness had been bothering Mellencamp for a couple of years, to the point where her eye makeup kept transferring onto the upper part of her lid. (Anyone with hooded eyes knows that struggle all too well.)
Mellencamp said her phone was soon “blowing up” with questions, so she addressed the big ones on her Instagram Stories. “Of course, it was fine with my cancer doctors, that’s why I agreed to do it,” she explained. “I was awake. I get my stitches out Thursday. I have immunotherapy Wednesday.”
That’s a lot for one week, but she sounded genuinely upbeat. Before the appointment, she playfully acknowledged the fans insisting she didn’t need it. Her verdict was that she wanted it anyway. Afterward, she called the experience “easy peasy,” said she was in and out in about two hours and declared herself “obsessed” with the results so far.
Mellencamp was first diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022 and has since undergone 17 surgeries, along with radiation and immunotherapy after the cancer spread to her brain and lungs in 2025. Through it all, she’s been refreshingly open. After years of procedures that weren’t optional, she’s now sharing one she chose for herself.
Eyelid surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures out there, and Mellencamp isn’t the first star to share the experience—Kaitlyn Bristowe documented her own upper bleph recovery, setback and all. The procedure is often done under local anesthesia, and stitches typically come out about a week later.
Mellencamp told followers to stay tuned for her final results. She also plans to answer more questions about the procedure on her podcast.
