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Dario Cantatore / Getty Images
Ashley Judd attends an event at the United Nations on Wednesday in New York City.
While Ashley Judd is busily writing about AIDS, proffering bracketing tips and promoting her new TV series, "Missing," the celebrity's reps and gossip mags are in a heated debate as to what's going on with her weirdly puffy face.
RadarOnline.com threw out the first salvo with a March 13 story that declared the actress's newly chubby cheeks were caused by some type of over-the-top plastic surgery. One of Judd's representatives quickly countered with an alternative explanation. The actress has been "battling an ongoing, serious sinus infection and flu," they told E! News.
Medication, they claimed, had caused the facial puffiness.
Dr. Vincent Chan, a Seattle ear, nose and throat doctor specializing in sinus disease, says steroids (commonly used for sinus infections) can cause puffiness, but only when used long term.
"Generally, when steroids are given for sinus infection, they're given for 10 days to two weeks," he says. "Usually those types of regimens - steroids for sinusitis - don't cause that sort of problem."
Chan says that when he prescribes steroids such as prednisone to his patients for sinusitis, he never counsels them about possible facial puffiness.
"It takes several weeks to a month to get that kind of puffiness," he says. "And it will be accompanied by generalized water retention. You'll be puffy everywhere."
As it happens, though, Judd has talked (well, tweeted) about her sinus infection -- and the weight gain she's suffered, thanks to the steroids her doctors are using to treat it.
"Steroids r dramatic," the actress tweeted to a fan who'd written Judd about her own prednisone-related weight gain. "My clothes don't fit right, hard on a girl's self esteem, so lots of positive self talk & love."
Other sinus-related tweets from Judd talk about how long the infection's been around (three weeks) and how she's had "2 rounds" of the drugs.
According to plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn, Judd's explanation regarding her puffy puss could certainly be true.
"If she says she started taking [steroids] five days ago and that's why she's puffy, that doesn't sound likely," he says. "But if she says 'I've been on steroids [for a while] and gained weight, I think that's a very reasonable explanation."
Youn says if it's not steroid use, his best guess would be that Judd is suffering from something he and his plastic surgery colleagues call "pillow face."
"There's a new trend in plastic surgery in Hollywood to over-plump people's faces," he says. "If it's not steroids, my guess would be that Ashley Judd has plumped her cheeks with Sculptra injections, which have caused her to have a pillow face and caused her cheeks to look almost chipmunk-like."
Youn quickly adds that the steroid story could also be true.
"It's possible either way," he says. "My feeling is that obviously it looks like she has a pillow face, not a steroid face. But her story definitely has some potential credibility to it."
As for Judd's fans, most don't seem to care about the facial filler rumors circulating the web one whit.
"Ashley Judd is still the sexiest woman in Hollywood," tweeted one.
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Leave a Comment:
Or... could it just be that she's getting fat? That happens when people age.
AGE?????? Gimme a break!
Wow , You beat me to it.
It doesn't look puffy! She gained weight and it showed on her face. That happens to alot of people. So what!
She still is pretty, and risk she is taking with the plastic surgery hopefully doesnt backfire on her in future as did with michael jackson, other actors.
I have a close friend that was placed on Predisone. Her hands, face and feet became extremely swollen and puffy. It's just one of the side effects of the drug.
Whether it be from medication or weight gain really doesn't matter. She is a lovely woman who is a wonderful actress....
Yes, she could have gained some weight, but as a nurse, I can say absolutely that steroid use, no matter what for, will cause a puffy face. Look at her eyes. They tell the real story. It's a shame that because of the overuse of plastic surgery, that every time someone appears different, they are automatically assumed to have had a cosmetic procedure done, and the gossip begins. No matter how it may hurt the individual, it seems that many just don't care what they say about another, as long as they can be vindictive.
People can be so rude, this article was uncalled for & does nothing but show the author has no class or manners. Her face isn't anyones' business.
As someone who has an auto-immune disorder and am often on steroids and often meet with others in the same situation, it looks like moon-face from steroids to me... but I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV.
M-O-O-N, that spells cheek implants!
My husband also has an autoimmune disorder, and when he has to take Prednisone, he can gain 30-40 pounds in a month. Not only that, it isn't just water retention. When he puts on the weight, it doesn't melt away when he stops taking the meds. It can take months and months for him to be able to lose the weight, and he has to do it the old fashioned way- in a gym. If she has something so bad that she has had to be on steroids for a long time (I consider a month to be a long time), my heart goes out to her.
Weird. I've been on prednisone for 20 years because of late onset JRA. 10mg/day, sometimes up to 20. The side effect is "increased appetite," not automatic weight gain. Although I do remember the times I had the urge to go on a feeding frenzy (years ago, it doesn't do that anymore), I never gained weight unless I gave in. The water retention thing might be accurate though. Just never hit me.
/shrugs
Exactly Saffron, it only takes about a week to a week and a half for the swelling to start for me. I am asthmatic and sometimes an infection will set me off and Prednisone does this to me.
Gelbkreuz, you are so so lucky. You're the first one I have ever heard of that doesn't get the swelling. The first time they prescribed it to me I was flipping out because I had seen the swelling it does to my mom and sister and the doctor told me that not all people swell, and I may react differently. uh huh.. right..lol I swell, gain weight, get the jitters, can't sleep... I hate that medicine and I hate that often it is the only one that works.
I've had serious sinus infections all my life and my face never did that -- ever. Something else is going on.
Not the infection, but the meds to treat it.
Why is this news? Leave her alone - she's a beautiful woman & a wonderful actress. Glad to see her on TV. Steroids or cheek plumper or whatever - at least she doesn't look like a war refugee like Angelina & some of the other Hollywood actresses.
Agreed! Good heavens, whether it's a steroids for a sinus infection or she's had cheek-plumping, she's still gorgeous and seems to be a decent person. Let's let her recover and allow her some dignity.
@caribbeancruzn at #4 I agree 100%. As noted at the Academy Awards this year, Angelina is incredibly thin to say the least, and she isn't the only one. There isn't anything attractive about an individual when they purposely allow themselves to become skin and bones.
Whether she has had work or not is her business. Why is it anyone else's business to make assumptions on things that don't affect their own lives?
And so what if she's gaining weight or had plastic surgery or is dealing with a sinus infection she's still cute.
it looks odd, whether due to fat, med reaction, or a filler. Why they put her on screen looking like that is beyond me. She looks nowhere near as hot as she used to.
And...don't you film months in advance...and it still looks like this? Could have kicked the infection, had reaction wear off, could have dropped weight since then as well...leaving some find of filler injection as the likely and badly chosen scenario.
The medication "Predizone" used to treat Lupus causes an "Oriental" facial shape. Her face appears too universally perfect to be r"random" swelling.
First of all, Prednisone is used to treat a lot of different things, not just lupus. Also, things are "Oriental", people are "Asian". Geez, I hope you just got this information off of a racist website, and that you are not just spouting off things you feel informed about. Because clearly, you're not.
Mr. Slippers....get yourself a life.
As someone who has been prescribed Prednisone many times I can tell you that the website you got your information from is full of horse hockey.. You swell every where, I can't even wear my wedding rings after about a week.
I'm 45, have had multiple sinus surgeries, due to severe chronic sinusitis. Having been on the 10 day to 2 week Prednisone regimen more times than I can count, I have to concur with the steroid causing puffiness theories. First off, it does cause a ravenous appetite, add that to the water retention, and yeah I can see this happening since it's happened to me. Since we all have sinuses in our cheeks as well as forehead, in between the eyes, behind the eyes etc... severe infections especially in the maxillary sinuses (aka cheek sinuses) WILL CAUSE FACIAL SWELLING, add that to steroid side effects, and it's not unusual to have the 'moon face' look. It may last a few weeks after the meds are done, but it should go away in time.
Leave her alone why don't you. She said that she had sinus problems and was taking a steroid, but you can't take her at her word? Typical sleazy reporting bringing in the plastic surgeons to give their opinions. Muck digging journalism at it's worst. So glad I am not a celebrity.
Prednisone effects people differently. My grandfather took it for years and it had no effect giving him a "moon face". And a friend of mine was one it for an extended period of time, and yes it did give her a "moon face" and she gained weight going from a size "0" to a size "2". Frankly it doesn't matter. She is still a beautiful woman and a great actress. Go Ashley Judd!!!!!
Who cares? Her life, her face. I'm not sure why this is news and what possible difference it makes in anyone's life but hers.
I hate this kind of gossip. So what if she has some puffiness? Leave her alone. She's still a beautiful woman with boatloads of talent. Perhaps someone's jealous of what/who Ashley is and has to try to knock her down? Pitiful, that's what it is. Simply pitiful.
Get off Ashley's back, you news-hungry media freaks!! She's the only "normal" Judd we have.
a normal judd? well bless ur heart for believin that, sweetie....ya havent watched their reality show, have ya?
i hope her family treats her better then they did to her fatter sister. what's her name? the huge one with red hair. she uses king sized comforters for kleenex.
In the greater scheme of things, Ashley Judd's face is far from important. Think about the Sudan and Darfur...now THAT'S important!
And how does helping Sudan or Darfur benefit me!? What do I get out of it!? /sarcasm
Some of us, unfortunately, show the slightest bit of weight gain in our face...sux!!!!!!!!!! fyi
currently on massive doses of prednisone myself... 10 days and counting and the puffy face is already starting.. it doesn't take months...
In a month or two she'll look normal. A "friend" of mine looked like that when she had some facial fat transplantation and now she looks beautiful. It takes a few months for everything to settle down. You go Ashley!
It may be steroid related....but still looks like just plain old botox to me....she's still beautiful either way though.
Hmm this is a symptom of giving too much "head".
MYOB!!!
Uh that was me, guys - sorry. My bad.
She gained weight and this story is ridiculous. The reason why this story is out is because it's a polite way of saying that her face got fat.
I was on two rounds of steroids for nearly a month in January to fight a horrible case of bronchitis. I gained weight, too, because the steroids made me ravenous. I say leave her alone. She's a lovely, classy actress and philanthropist, and she doesn't deserve this.
She may have put on some weight, but she still looks just as beautiful. Her face is a little fuller but it most certainly isn't fat.
A race car driver wants some curves.
I'll take that face any day, week, or month of the year!! Ms. Judd is an extraordinarily beautiful woman...and Dario is a lucky, lucky man!! Miss Ashley...don't pay any attention to these negative, thoughtless comments. After all...this IS msnbc!!!!