According to a leading doctor, more men than ever are having surgery to lengthen their limbs, and it's not cheap.
Height, unfortunately, is one thing you have little control over when it comes to your body's dimensions. So it's no surprise that one practice is reporting a huge increase in bookings for the limb-lengthening surgery. In 2019, Las Vegas-based The LimbPlastX Institute saw 30 men sign up for the life-changing procedure.
The operation can add up to six inches to your height and isn't simple. The kicker? The surgery can set you back more than $75,000.
But men aren't deterred by the pricing.
"Over 90 per cent of my patients, including those who have consulted with me, are male. Most on average are about 5'6 seeking a height increase of 3 inches," Dr. Kevin Debiparshad, who works at the clinic, told The Mirror.
"The desire to appear taller, particularly for men, has always been a hot topic in modern day society and social norms.
"While that is certainly a driver in the popularity to increase their height, reasons for cosmetic limb-lengthening vary, ranging from a boost in self-confidence to improved physical capabilities - all of which change lives."
So how can going under the knife help you in your quest for extra height?
During the 1.5 hour procedure, surgeons make an incision into the leg bones before inserting a stretching device.
"We cut the leg bones - either femur (upper leg bone) or tibia (lower leg bone) - and insert a device that slowly stretches them out which makes you taller permanently," Debiparshad continues.
"As far as the procedure goes, it's an x-ray based surgery where I make 4-6 tiny small incisions into the leg (either thigh bone or lower leg bone) creating a window, to gain access to the hollow part of the bone, where I insert a device that responds to an external remote control that the patient will control at home.
"Once the device is set, I place screws at the top and bottom of the device to lock into position. This is done on each leg.
"Post-surgery, the external remote control is used by the patient to non-invasively increase their height by 1mm per day at the touch of a button, slowly stretching the legs to increase their height."
According to the doctor, the surgery is largely painless and dangers are limited.
"Some risk does exist; however, the most innovative and advanced techniques available today greatly reduce patient complications," he continued.
"Risk of infection or transfusion, similar to any other type of surgical procedure, and specific to this surgery, the bone may heal too quickly, not fast enough or you could experience muscle tightening.
"Additionally, you could lose some athletic ability to get to that end stage. You can run and go to the gym, but you might not be able to sprint 100 meters in nine seconds with your newfound stature."
So I guess the big question is: who has a spare $75,000 sitting around for a couple of inches?
