‘Real Housewives’ Star Opens Up About Rare Medical Condition She Lives With

Jenna  Lyons opened up about a rare medical condition that she was born with.

During a July 2023 appearance on “The View,” the  “Real Housewives of New York City” newcomer revealed that she was born with incontinentia pigmenti.  According to the National Institute of Health, incontinentia pigmenti is a genetic condition that affects the skin, eyes, hair, teeth, and nervous system.

While speaking on the ABC talk show, Lyons, 55, revealed that she has “fake” teeth and hair due to her inherited condition.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Jenna Lyons Gave Details on Her Genetic Condition

Lyons is the former creative director and president of J.Crew. During her appearance on “The View,” she explained that she got into the fashion industry because she wanted to “look better” after years of being tormented by her appearance due to the effects of her genetic disorder.

“All my teeth are fake,” she told “The View” co-hosts, after revealing the name of her medical condition. “I paid a lot of money for them,” she added of her teeth after one of the co-hosts told her “they look good.”

“My hair is also fake,” Lyons continued. “I can take it off. It’s like a hat. It’s not a wig. My eyelashes are fake. I have no eyebrows, and I also have scars all over my skin.”

“I was really conscious,” the RHONY star said of her appearance. “It’s one of the reasons I went into fashion. I wanted to look better. I was constantly trying to find ways to fit in.”

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Jenna Lyons Previously Shared Photos of Her Natural Teeth

Lyons has gained newfound fame as part of the Real Housewives franchise, but this isn’t the first time she has addressed her medical situation.

In August 2022, Lyons posted a childhood photo to Instagram to show how her teeth looked before she had work done. She then added more recent photos of before and after one of her many dental surgeries. She captioned the post to describe her natural teeth as “shaped like cones.”

“I grew up with horrible teeth and horrible teasing. I didn’t smile – ever – covered my mouth,” Lyons told her social media followers.

In an interview with New York magazine, Lyons mentioned that her perfect-looking teeth are actually dentures and she added, “I’m not at all shy about. I have quite a few scars on my skin, my teeth are conical, and I have huge bald spots on my hair that are mostly closed up but they’re still there.”

In an April 2023 story for Oprah Daily, the RHONY star revealed that although she has bald spots, scarred skin, and  “almost no eyebrows or eyelashes,” the worst of all was her problems with her teeth.

“Up until 10th grade, when I had veneers bonded onto them, I only had 13 very small, cone-shaped teeth and huge gaps,” she told the outlet. “I definitely got teased and beaten up at school.”

Lyons also revealed that getting her teeth fixed was her “longest and most tortuous journey,” which started during her later high school years and continued when she was able to afford to get her top teeth done.

“I’ve had 14 oral surgeries so far,” she said of the six-year process to fix her smile. “I literally could have bought a house with what these teeth cost me, and I still have a way to go.”

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