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Cosmetic surgeons are now doing operations to increase height! The procedure is generally viewed as a godsend for people whose short stature affects their lives and psychological well-being.
The operations can add a good two to three inches to their height, but they do come at a cost. Not only are they ridiculously expensive, but they also involve having your legs broken!
The painful surgery is not just reserved for people with dwarfism or children with uneven limb length. But now it seems that men and women with below-average height are willing to brave the torment for purely cosmetic reasons.
The arduous and prolonged procedure begins with a doctor breaking the patient’s shin bones and inserting a telescopic rod into them.
Over time, as the bones heal, the rod pulls the bones apart gradually – approximately one millimetre per day. As the bone is stretched, new bone, nerves, arteries, and skin grow to fill in the gap.
The process is complete in about three months’ time, adding two to three inches to overall height. After this, the patient would need several months of physiotherapy to recover completely.
Case-in-point is New Jersey resident Akash Shukla, who ‘grew’ from 4-foot-11 to 5-foot-2 after undergoing the surgery. He described being less than 5 foot tall as “a void inside me – emptiness in my heart.”
Given that the surgery can cost $85,000 (Sh7,788,876) or more in the U.S., a few people are opting to travel to India, where it is apparently more affordable.
