Khloé Kardashian is always getting heat from fans over her cosmetic work, but she’s doubling down, saying it’s saved her from being the family’s ugly duckling and that she has zero regrets, a source exclusively tells Life & Style

“Khloé spent years feeling like she didn’t measure up to her older sisters,” the insider says. “Even before their show ever started her mom was always critical of her looks.”

“When she was only nine years old, she actually overheard Kris [Jenner] telling someone she needed a nose job, which is so damaging and really did a number on her self-confidence.” 

Khloé, 40, along with sisters Kim and Kourtney, rose to fame in 2007 when their reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians first aired.

Over the course of 20 seasons, fans watched the trio, along with parents Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, overcome the trials and tribulations associated with love, family and most prominently fame.

A major theme reappearing throughout was Khloé, the youngest sister, struggling with comparisons to her siblings.

“Once the show started,” the source continues, “she became the butt of so many jokes because she’s bigger and taller than her sisters and doesn’t have the same features.” 

“It was truly hell for her, but for a long time she tried to just shrug it off and act like it didn’t bother her, but it really did.” 

With the Kardashian empire built on the beauty business, Khloé eventually decided to have cosmetic work done. She opened up about receiving facial filler injections in 2015, which she claimed: “Didn’t work for me.” 

She eventually had them dissolved, saying “I looked crazy.”

Khloe Kardashian on a 'Slippery Slope' of Cosmetic Surgery (EXCLUSIVE)
Denise Truscello/WireImage

The reality star admitted to having serious work done for the first time in 2019 with a nose job, something she had said corrected her worst insecurity.

“My whole life I would say — I’ve always wanted my nose done, forever,” she told ABC host Robin Roberts in April 2022. “But it’s in the middle of your face and it’s scary to think about.” 

“But I finally got the courage, and I did it, and I love it,” she added.

The insider says the Good American founder regrets nothing about her procedure.

“In the end, the only thing that helped her feel better about herself was getting surgery,” the source tells. “People can say what they want about her nose and the fillers and the extreme weight loss, but she finally loves what she sees in the mirror and says everyone can go f–k themselves.” 

With season 5 of the family’s new series, The Kardashians, gearing up to air on Hulu, Khloé has some fans concerned she’s gone overboard after debuting a drastically altered appearance in the promo trailer.

“The issue is that a lot of people think she’s gone way too far, that she’s had more nose jobs than she admits,” the source says.

“Not only that, surgery can be very addictive, she’s already mentioned other things she wants to get done so the worry is she’s now on a very slippery slope and could wind up totally butchering herself.”