More men are seeking cosmetic leg-lengthening procedures to boost their height, ABC News reported Feb. 2.
Cosmetic leg lengthening can add two to six inches to a person's height. Physicians surgically break the bones of either the upper or lower leg and insert a telescopic rod. The device expands inside the bone with an external remote control and is expanded over the next two or two and a half months until the gap between the bones fills in. Then the rod is surgically removed about a year later, Kevin Debiparshad, MD, a Las Vegas-based orthopedic surgeon who has performed hundreds of leg lengthening surgeries, told ABC News.
Traditionally, limb-lengthening surgery was limited primarily to children, patients with deformities and those who suffered traumatic injuries. But advances in technology have led more patients to seek the procedure for cosmetic purposes. The procedure starts at around $72,000 and has risks of damaging muscle, ligaments, tendons and causing permanent nerve damage, the report said.
Experts told ABC News culture plays a critical role in why men seek these procedures. Some men told the news outlet they felt insecure about their stature and that women would not date them due to their height.