Heidi Montag Plastic Surgery: What Are My Thoughts
Obviously, when a famous celebrity gets plastic surgery, there is a thunderstorm of opinions that surround that event. Mostly these opinions originate from the lay press, and at other times these opinions appear as sound bites from a media-hungry or media-savvy plastic surgeon. My goal in this blog article is to express my thoughts on Heidi Montag’s plastic surgery and what may have motivated the procedures and what perhaps could be the long-term consequences of the surgery.
When an individual has a significant number of plastic-surgery procedures at a very tender age, the red flag that comes to my mind is a condition known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Obviously, I am not saying that is what Ms. Montag has since it would be gross speculation and unfair. However, I would at least venture to state that it would be a sincere concern of mine. BDD as a definition in short is a psychological condition in which someone has an obsession over a body part that is disproportionate to what in actuality it may appear to be and that may in turn socially cripple that person. When an older person seeks a fat graft, a facelift, and related procedures to aging, I am not as concerned if that person fits the psychological profile of someone who is reasonable and not socially handicapped by his or her looks. However, when someone in her early 20s has a significant number of procedures, then the question certainly must be raised or at least properly investigated.
Safety of having so many procedures all at one time regarding anesthesia risk should also be considered. The occasion of individuals having experienced anesthetic risk has arisen when facial procedures were combined with extensive body surgery. Body procedures, especially aggressive liposuction, alter body fluids and chemistries and poses risk when extended surgical times are required. Again, surgeon judgment and patient selection are mandatory here when deciding the right, safe combination of procedures to be performed at any given time.
Finally, this is a big one for me: how are all of these procedures going to age for Ms. Montag. My opinion, not well. Aggressive rhinoplasty with a revision procedure can lead to unfavorable nasal changes over time. To me (I may be wrong) she appears not to have had a conservative approach to her nasal surgery, as indicated by some early nasal notching that I see. In addition, if you know me, you know that I have come to despise browlifts. With the fullness in her brows now, they don’t look too bad (but in my opinion not very good either). I think as her brows hollow out, she will look particularly bad by her late 30s. Fat grafting is my specialty and I am very careful in selecting the right patient for this procedure. I believe that her having had this procedure done at such an early age with future metabolic changes and bearing children could lead to the fat aging very poorly. How? The fat may enlarge if she gains significant weight with further aging, and the remaining part of the face that was not transplanted will probably look unusual as the areas that were transplanted start to separate from untransplanted areas. In general (but not always) I prefer to operate on women for fat grafting who are at least mid-thirties in age. For all of the above reasons, I remain circumspect about Ms. Montag’s motivations and the safety in the long run of her many procedures that she underwent.
Samuel M. Lam, MD, FACS is a board certified plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas. For more info about Dr Lam’s fat transfer procedures, or to schedule a consultation please call 972.312.8105. If you would like to ask Dr Lam a question please visit our plastic surgery forum.