Everyone was speculating that defiant kind of drugged-out looking Rose McGowan had some sort of botched plastic surgery when she showed up at several events with an extra bit of hanging skin beneath her eyes. It turns out she has an excuse that should make us feel as bad as The Bastardly did for getting schooled by Jenna Jameson that she suffered from skin cancer. McGowan was involved in a car accident in which her sunglasses were smashed onto her face, severing the skin beneath her eye:

ROSE McGowan , a star of upcoming gore-fest “Grindhouse,” had a gory experience of her own a few weeks ago – but it could have been worse. McGowan was a passenger in a car that collided with another, and the accident pushed her eyeglasses into her face. “I didn’t realize I was hurt until I put my hand to my face and felt the flap of skin. My glasses had sliced me under my eye,” the gorgeous actress tells us. She was terrified of scarring, but found an excellent plastic surgeon.

I guess I never pointed it out because McGowan just doesn’t register for me. She does look way too arrogant to be sober in the pictures I’ve seen of her lately, but at least she’s not as scary skinny as she was a few months ago. I’m not entirely buying this story, because both of her eyes seem to have those droopy bags and not just one like the story makes it sound. I’m also wondering why we didn’t hear about it earlier, but at least she’s ok and all.

Here is McGowan at ShoWest awards in Las Vegas on March 15th. She is seen hamming it up with Rosario Dawson, who seems to have recovered from her mini-bangs accident.

Thanks to Saving Face and Hollywood’s Best for these photos.