Heidi Montag says she ‘didn’t need’ plastic surgery transformation: ‘I was beautiful before’

Heidi Montag says she’s never needed plastic surgery. (Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Heidi Montag opened up about her extensive cosmetic surgery in a recent episode of the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson podcast.
The Laguna Beach star admitted her journey began with cosmetic upgrades when she was offered free services. “I thought, ‘Great, $100.00 free plastic surgery? Great!’ But I should have stopped and thought about it because when [the doctor] told about it, it sounded so insignificant,” said Montag, who felt misled about the intensity of the process.
Unfortunately, the invasive, 16-hour, multi-part, 10-procedure, day operation was anything but easy.
“I almost died and they gave me too much Demerol [an opioid pain medication] and then they told Spencer I was dead and he’s coming down. And then they took me back and I was fine and I think after that life and death experience… I was so fragile and frail. And it took me so long to recover. And I was supposed to go back to work and filming and my family was upset and a lot more. That was the hardest point of my career and mental state for me because I just lost it,” she said.
The promise of a free full-body makeover was too good to pass up for the then 23-year-old, who admitted to wishing for a breast augmentation from a young age.
“I always wanted implants growing up. Because my grandma had really big breasts. So I always wanted implants,” she said.
But looming insecurities and an enthusiastic surgeon opened her mind to additional procedures.
“I was always kind of mocked because of my nose. And then a plastic surgeon at an event came up to me and he was like, ‘Oh, I can do it for free, do you ever want a nose or boobs? work or something?’ Or actually he had a rep who came to me, someone who worked at a tabloid. And I said, ‘Surely remembered.
The story goes on
This offer from the surgeon would soon change the reality star’s life.
“If that hadn’t happened, I would never have gotten anything. As if I hadn’t looked at offers and searched for them. And I was actually pretty confident in who I am, even though I’ve always wanted that or just thought it wasn’t a big deal,” she said.
However, during an initial consultation, Heidi was made aware of a number of “imperfections” that her surgeon recommended she fix. Many of them she hadn’t even noticed.
“He said, ‘Well, let me show you what I would do.’ I say, “Yeah, what would you do? What other things when we’re down?” And he says, ‘That, that, that, that, that, and that, and that?’ As I walked away I was like, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t know there was so much wrong with me,'” she said.
Montag’s operations were the subject of many tabloid headlines, largely due to the scale of the work she had done at one time.
“That’s why it was so controversial that I had so many things done at once. And a lot of people wouldn’t do it. Or recommend that. I think I was under pressure for over 16 hours, which I think they don’t say no longer legal,” she said.
Despite the cosmetic changes, Montag reflects fondly on her pre-surgery appearance and realizes that there was nothing wrong with her appearance.
“I was beautiful before and it was fine. And I didn’t need that,” she said.
Now, 13 years after the surgery, Montag has a message for young girls who may be considering going under the knife.
“Would I pay for it and go through it all again and do that? I just don’t want my worth to be in my looks no matter what,” she said, before emphasizing the importance of identifying your “why” before getting any work done.
“My suggestion to everyone is, ‘Okay, what? Why? Why do you want to do them? And what are you thinking about? And what will that change in your life?’” she said.
She also advises against over-reliance on social media to build self-confidence.
“You may have to stop looking at Instagram or stop searching [and] comparing yourself to other people… It will only make you unhappy. No matter what you should not be other people. I don’t want you to see how everyone lives and what they do and what their life is like. You’re the only one you can be,” she said.
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