Skeletal Re-Modelling – Brits get leg lengthening surgery abroad
We live in an age where cosmetic procedures have become as normal as getting your hair cut or your nails done. But the following new trend seems to be the next big thing – and it scares the life out of me.
Ever wished you were a little bit taller? Well, now you can. Welcome to ‘Skeletal Re-Modelling’.
British surgeons are warning of potential horror complications, as people travel abroad for this controversial surgery to make them taller. And yes, we’re talking about Turkey. It’s not just your Teeth you can fix there – you can now gain up to six inches at certain clinics.
Social media has fuelled a “desire to become taller” leading to soaring demand for the procedure. The surgery usually costs about £100,000 at clinics in the UK, but in Turkey clinics typically offer the procedure for £25,000.
Limb lengthening is among the riskiest types of cosmetic surgery. It involves breaking the leg bone in two during an operation, then fitting a metal rod inside which is attached to screws.
Over several weeks, the metal rods are gradually extended by turning the screws, meaning new leg bone grows in the gap and legs become longer. Legs can be lengthened by several inches this way.
The operation is extremely high risk, and can cause nerve damage, disability, blood clots and infections, while some patients end up with one leg longer than the other.
All patients require physiotherapy and some need extensive follow-up care. However, sorting out complications can cost in the region of £36,000. Indeed some patients require major surgery for complications, including knee surgery and removal of broken nails holding bone together with re-nailing to address poor bone regeneration.
The issue of leg-lengthening surgery was portrayed last year in the Materialists, a film starring Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson. Pascal’s character, Harry, had the surgery to become six inches taller so that he would be more successful at dating. However, the reality can be much more harrowing.
Would you ever contemplate this?
