I know it's a horrible thing to say or even think, but alcohol abuse can cause that kind of puffiness and weight gain as well.
At the very least, she definitely doesn't look happy at all.

I initially noticed this when I watched Parenthood, but now I'm rewatching season 4 of GG and it seems like the puffiness is beginning there.

ok, let me rephrase, i get the reasons why but i don't understand how they go through with it when it NEVER looks good. ever. it's just so unnecessary in that sense.

That's the thing - they don't. They look older. The women in their 20s and 30s, who have had work done, look like they're in their 50s or 60s.
Fighting a religious war is like fighting over whose imaginary friend is better.

i will never understand why women mess about with their faces
Because they are expected to look young at all costs in order to keep working in a very sexist industry. It's a no brainer.

saying her face ruined scenes is harsh but it's definitely distracting. i will never understand why women mess about with their faces. it makes absoultely no sense.

To me, her puffy face looks more like the result of taking prednisone or other steroids used for health problems such as auto-immune disease (or prescribed after receiving an organ transplant). Her weight gain is a bit of a jolt as well. It looks like the type of weight gain that results from using mood-stabilizing drugs for clinical depression or bipolar disorder.

Most of them would.
Fighting a religious war is like fighting over whose imaginary friend is better.

I agree, her face looked really off. Whether it's plastic surgery or botox injections, it was really distracting and it's a shame, I'm pretty sure she'd be aging beautifully without any "help"

She looks about perfect in the promotional photos for "A Year in the Life", but significantly different in the series. It's weird and unsettling.

I saw the pictures of her from December 2016 when she was promoting her book and she was gorgeous. She's aging pretty well for someone in Hollywood. No face or neck lift, just some botox injections. Considering her fear of knives and needles I doubt she will be going to extremes.

To be honestI thought her face was odd looking too.
I don't know if that has to do with surgery and I understand that it is completely normal that she has gained weight.
She still looks great though but currently watching GG again and she looks damn near perfect..

I dunno the age gap between Lorelai and Rory is so well known - 16 years - that I don't see why the show-runners would be trying to pass her off as much younger. Lorelai's 48, Graham is 49 - it all works. Paris even makes a point about the uncertainty of using eggs "over age 44." And I think at one point Lorelai says something about "milestones looming," which I take to mean "turning 50." So they really weren't trying to skate around what age she is.
Of course I don't know, but I would guess whatever work she had done was her own choice. Maybe coming back to Gilmore Girls was kind of like a class reunion where you really want to look the way everyone remembers you. She shouldn't have tried so hard. I don't know when her IMDB picture was taken, but she looks SO much lovelier and un-tampered-with there.

i was thinking the same thing - what had she done to her face? She did look like a bull-dog in some scenes.
Let's face it - Graham turns 50 in a few months, but I think they want to keep her character somewhere in the early 40s stages, which makes no sense. Not sure if this was Graham's own choice, or the producer's choice to puff up her face like that. It was awful.
"Splodey heads keep splodin' " - Sarah Palin, 7-1-16

I guess it's a double edged sword, but I have a yet to see an actor that looks younger because of Botox or surgery. They just look the same age but with unnaturally smooth, tight or puffy skin
Not one looks younger or better. And the shame is that a lot of them, like Graham, could age quite beautifully.
Fighting a religious war is like fighting over whose imaginary friend is better.

I am not sure if it is actually plastic surgery or Botox. I'm not an expert but the puffy face makes me think she has regular Botox injections. I find this distracting for all actors since these procedures limit the use of the face and facial expression is a huge part of an actors career. It's a shame so many comprise like this to enhance their looks. It affects the storytelling. I guess it's a double edged sword, but I have a yet to see an actor that looks younger because of Botox or surgery. They just look the same age but with unnaturally smooth, tight or puffy skin

i concur!