Plastic surgery addict left with permanent erection after botched nose job

Neven Ciganovic is a self-described plastic surgery addict. Photo / Australscope

A plastic surgery addict claims a botched nose job has left him with a painful and permanent erection.

Reality TV star Neven Ciganovic flew to Iran to have an operation to fix his crooked nose.

But when the 45-year-old returned home to the Serbian capital, Belgrade he began to suffer long-lasting erections, reported news.com.au.

The Croatian stylist said: "I was in Iran for rhinoplasty for the documentary film that Channel 4 is filming covering my life.

"We did not record the surgery but only the consultation sessions with the doctor.

"They gave me general anaesthesia and I reacted badly to it."

Neven said during his plastic surgery doctors diagnosed him with the rare condition, priapism, a condition where men suffer painful erection that lasts for several hours.

It's not necessarily related to sexual stimulation or excitement and won't disappear after orgasm.

If the erection lasts longer than four hours, it's deemed a medical emergency.

Permanent damage can be caused if it isn't treated quickly, and can result in a man being unable to get an erection in future.

The condition happens when blood rushes to the penis and is unable to flow out.

Anything that affects the nervous system can trigger priapism.

Neven Ciganovic says he was left with a painful, permanent erection. Photo / Australscope

Disrupting the normal way the nerves that trigger an erection work can widen the arteries in the penis causing more blood to flow in than normal. And lots of different medications can also play a role.

Anticoagulants - used to thin the blood - such as warfarin and heparin, are linked to priapism, according to the NHS, as are drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, some antidepressants, and drugs used to treat high blood pressure.

In some cases recreational drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth and cannabis have also been found to trigger the nasty condition.

The reality star recovered in hospital, but said doctors there refused to give him painkillers despite him being in agony.

During his stay, he said: "I reside in Belgrade hospital since Friday.

"Unfortunately, I do not get analgesics because they do not give them to patients here, so I continue to suffer.

"I have to be at the hospital for five more days."

Neven said he has now had an operation to relieve his priapism, but doctors have warned he won't fully recover for a few months.

The plastic surgery addict has had more than a dozen operations, three on his nose, plus procedures to enhance his lips, stomach and chin.

But it is the final nose operation, to correct a wonky septum, that will propel him to international star status.

He said: "I look forward to a movie about myself.

"Channel 4 dedicated a whole episode about me. I think this is a big deal and I hope this is the start of my international career."

While he spent some time in London filming with Channel 4, Neven adopted the motto: "Better to hate me because for what I am than to love me for what I'm not."

And he said he's considering more non-surgical treatments to improve his looks such as another "vampire face lift" - where platelets are extracted from a patient's blood and then used as a skin filler.

He shrugged off criticism that his extensive surgeries have worsened his looks.

"I often hear from people that I looked better before surgery," he said.

"It was a long time ago and I'm curious, who will not look better if they are 20 years younger?"