The “Little House on the Prairie” Star Melissa Gilbert, Said NO to Botox and Decided to Age Naturally

Whether we like it or not, Hollywood kinda has the power to change our outlook both on life and on ourselves too. We are always shown a glamorous life with perfect people. People without acne, wrinkles, or cellulite... And if that can influence us, who are not a part of that life, imagine what kind of toll it takes on people who are living the Hollywood dream.

Melissa grew up in Hollywood, literally.

Gilbert dove into the TV industry when she was only a kid, starring as a child actress in numerous guest starring roles and commercials. She had her big break at the age of 9 when she landed the role of Laura Ingalls — one of the leading roles on the TV show Little House on the Prairie.

After the show ended, she continued her career, appearing mainly in movies made for TV.

After graduating from child stardom, Melissa was consumed by Hollywood’s superficial standards.

Plastic surgery and Botox became her norm. “I grew up in an industry that values the outside considerably more than the inside, and I was caught in that wheel of trying to stay young,” she revealed.

In her book, she wrote that the divorce from her second husband, Bruce Boxleitner, sent her into the so-called “midlife” crisis and that prompted her, even more, to make changes to her appearance. “Being a single woman in your 40s in Los Angeles is a whole different league of pressure. And being an actress looking for work in an industry obsessed with youth ratchets that up even further. I reacted as many women I encountered did: I attempted to freeze everything in place.”

She started resenting all the changes she made to her appearance.

Her mindset was always set on the fact that she had to be thin, wear the right shoes, drive the right car, etc. But that never felt right for her. However, she was committed to her lifestyle until the day that she suffered a concussion when the roof of her patio fell on her head.

She took that misfortune as a sign that her life was careening out of control. “I finally woke up and went, ’What am I doing? I look like a carrot top, and I’m not happy,’” she revealed. “Your face doesn’t move. Your breasts are too big. You’re with the wrong guy. The list went on.”

She wanted to start aging naturally, and she had to move out of LA to actually be able to.

After Gilbert married her third husband — the love of her life, Tim Busfield — they got away from the youth-chasing hustle and moved to a rural part of Michigan. There, Melissa started her self-love journey.

“I cut off all my hair and quit doing Botox and all that stuff. I love all these changes and watching what’s happening and getting to know this new person. I also feel so much stronger, and I feel like I’ve really earned my opinions,” she admitted.

Melissa also had her breast implants removed, and she believes that this decision was one of the smartest things she has ever done. “I found the courage to just be me,” she revealed in an interview. “I decided to age gracefully and appropriately and let my body and my face become whatever they are going to become.”

Melissa is now 58 years old and finally loves her life and the way she looks.

Gilbert and her husband found a place in Highland Park and settled into a peaceful, rural life. Aside from her culinary talents, raising hens to lay eggs and growing vegetables are some of the skills she acquired from her new lifestyle.

“I was always trying too hard to fit the mold that someone else wanted,” says Melissa. “I’m finally happy in my own skin. I’m so grateful and relieved and so much happier.”

Do you think Melissa looks better with or without Botox?