‘Eyebrow transplant is one possibility’: Plastic surgeon breaks down what other procedures Barbera Thornhill, daughter of an ENT doctor, might have had

Since becoming President Donald Trump's new Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, it’s Barbera Thornhill’s face that everyone is interested in. The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Riley Barnes, on October 13, posted an image of the 78-year-old envoy on X to announce her appointment.

“Ambassador Thornhill, welcome to the team. I'm proud to have such a dedicated leader join us as Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons,” Barnes wrote.



A day later, US Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Callista Gingrich also posted an image of herself with Thornhill, writing, “pleased to welcome Ambassador Barbera Thornhill, US Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to the US Embassy in Bern.”

The two images were enough to bring the hungry internet naysayer into the commentary, some of whom didn't even think twice to connect her face to aliens. With her smooth forehead, open wide eyes, and a wrinkle-free face, other onlookers were quick to confuse her with a Men in Black movie character.

“This picture is uncomfortable to look at,” One X user wrote. Another user could not believe their eyes, saying, “Are both people in this picture real?”

“This is like AI trying to generate humans when the models were still being developed,” a third commentator wrote.


Since the social media cacophony around her face doesn't seem to stop, a certified plastic surgeon shared what the newly appointed ambassador might have done with her face that some people find it out of this world.

“Her lower face appears somewhat tighter, with a sharper, more defined jawline. There also seems to be an overall lifting effect across her face, which could be consistent with the effects of a facelift,” Dr. Candemir, an independent plastic surgeon, explained to The Mirror US.

Plastic surgery isn't probably the only explanation for the jawline changes. “Dermal fillers could potentially account for some of that definition, particularly around the jawline. They could also have helped soften the appearance of folds,” Dr. Candemir said after analyzing the publicly available photos.

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Another major area that caught his attention is Thornhill’s eye, “Her upper eyelids seem less hooded than before, which can sometimes be achieved through upper blepharoplasty. The skin beneath her eyes also looks smoother, so lower eyelid surgery could be another possibility.”

“Anti-wrinkle injections could be one explanation for the smoother appearance around her eyes and the subtle lift towards the outer corners of her brows. Dermal fillers might also help explain why some of the lines around her mouth appear less pronounced,” he examined.

Dr. Candemir also talked about a possible eyebrow transplant to the outlet: “An eyebrow transplant is one possibility, although makeup or other non-surgical brow enhancements could produce a similar look.”

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However, he cautioned that photographs alone cannot establish whether someone has undergone plastic surgery or treatment. “Lighting, makeup, weight changes, and natural aging can all affect how someone looks, so it's impossible to say whether any cosmetic work has actually taken place.”

In the end, he also gave a hypothetical price tag for all the cosmetic procedures, which the ambassador may or may not have undergone.

“A combination of surgical procedures, potentially including a facelift, eyelid surgery, and buccal fat removal, could cost around $70,000 to $100,000, possibly more with a particularly sought-after surgeon,” he guesstimated.

“Non-surgical treatments could be a less expensive alternative for some of the changes discussed. A more extensive combination might cost around $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the number of treatments and sessions involved,” the doctor told the publication.

Going a little further from her facetune conversations, Barbera has been serious about her new role since she was informed that she had been nominated for the post.

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“I came from a loving family in North Carolina long known for its involvement in healthcare and charitable work,” Barbera wrote in her statement in June this year.

As per her, she was the daughter of an ENT and an inventor of a medical device. “My mother, a pediatrician, was one of the first women to go to Duke Medical School and my father, an ENT, invented the procedure known as ‘Stapedectomy,’ an operation that led to the Cochlear implant - a device that has helped millions of people hear again,” she added in that statement.