Wish you were a little bit taller? Hold that thought.

Limb-lengthening is a complicated procedure that is performed by various surgeons around the world, and now by several in the US.  It was initially intended for those with short stature or dwarfism, but it has now developed a cosmetic niche as well.  That's right, for $85,000 you can grow 6 inches in 3 months.  Sounds too good to be true?   That's because it probably is.

The process of limb-lengthening begins with a surgeon breaking your lower leg (shin) bones and then inserting telescoping rods into the space.  The rods then extend by about a millimeter a day, allowing new bone, nerves, and tissue to regenerate around it.  If that sounds reasonable, just think about it one more time.  Another individual actually breaks your bones and hopes that equally sturdy bone will form in its place.  While the procedure does work, it is not without complications.  A study in the journal International Orthopaedics found there to be frequent complications with this procedure (2006 study) including nerve damage, unequal lengthening, paralysis, and hip problems.  That does not include the possibility of weaker bone formation and possible fractures in the future.

If that didn't sound bad enough, how about the inability to use anti-inflammatory medications because they may suppress bone growth?  As a result, patient's end up on high doses of narcotics such as Vicodin, Morphine, etc.  I assume a portion of them now have to deal with addiction issues and withdrawals.  Not only that, but some individuals that travel overseas for the procedure return home and have to adjust these rods themselves by some sort of leg maneuver.  Tell me THAT doesn't sound painful!

I think cosmetic surgery has come a long way and has become very mainstream.  While no procedures are entirely safe, some are safer than others.  When someone undergoes rhinoplasty (a nose job), the surgeon has to break their nose and readjust it.   This is clearly not on the level of having your legs broken for 3 months and having to undergo strenuous physical therapy to try to get your function back.  I can understand the medical uses of the procedure, but the cosmetic use is certainly extreme.  The obsession with cosmetic surgery continues to grow, but its complications are often overshadowed by its glamour.  In the case of limb-lengthening, it's hard to imagine the benefits outweighing the risks, some of which are unknown.  Besides, longer pants are so much harder to find.