Plastic Surgery: Is Heidi Montag Addicted?

Even though her recent 10 procedures in 1 day plastic surgery spree nearly killed her, Heidi Montag, the 23-year-old star of MTV’s The Hills told “Access Hollywood” that she is open to having more.

“I almost died after my procedure,” Montag said. “I had too much Demerol like Michael Jackson did and my breathing was five breaths per minute which is like almost dead. [I was] in an aftercare center, there were nurses that were supposed to be tending to me at all times.”

“So thank God, Charles, one of my security guys used to be an EMT, and he was timing my breath on his watch and he called the nurses,” she added. “They had to put oxygen on my face and called my plastic surgeon to come in for an emergency. So, it was a very traumatic experience for me.”

Montag began having plastic surgery in 2007, starting with breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and collagen lip injections. In late 2009, she had her second breast enlargement, liposuction on her waist, hips, neck and thighs, brow lift, Botox in forehead, rhinoplasty revision, fat injections into her cheeks and lips, chin reduction, buttock augmentation and had her ears pinned back. Montag also claims she is willing to take the risk in order to have even more surgery.

“I’m just starting,” she said. “Let’s just say there’s a lot of maintenance. Nobody ages perfectly, so I plan to keep using surgery to make me as perfect as I can be. Because, for me, the surgery is always so rewarding.”

Though Montag has stated that she is not addicted to cosmetic surgery, most psychologists and plastic surgeons would disagree after hearing her quoted saying “I’m beyond obsessed.”

“Even though you had ten surgeries in one day, that doesn’t seem very far down the continuum [of addiction],” said Tom Horvath, a psychologist who operates an addiction treatment center in La Jolla, Calif.

Patients interested in the risks and effectiveness of having multiple procedures can contact plastic surgeons such as Houston liposuction surgeon, Dr. Michael Eisseman.

Dr. Eisemann is one of several surgeons who offer specialized consultations for multiple-procedure patients. He reminds that its important for patients to remember that numerous factors, such as age, body type and health history are crucial in determining if a potential patient is eligible for even one or multiple plastic surgery procedures.

Since the surgeries, Montag is now starting to experience diminishing pain as well as regaining her ability to walk and move around effortlessly. Typically, liposuction surgery requires patients to stay off their feet for up to a month, on average. Montag has had mobility issues for about twice that average recovery time.

“I do love it and I appreciate it and I appreciate the science behind it,” she explained. “We [are] blessed to even have this surgery that we have. We’re so advanced. If Cleopatra were alive now, I’m sure she’d have triple D’s … there’s always been a struggle between pain and beauty. I feel like since the beginning of time.”

“I’m beyond ready to do it again,” she said.