PA Images/Universal PicturesThere’s nothing a few extra inches can’t fix.
Height is a sensitive issue for many people, but particularly men. For some fragile egos, the impact of being a little shorter than average is almost too much to bear.
You’ve seen the ads splattered across sketchy websites, with enticing offers like: ‘Increase your length in three easy steps!’ Well, apparently some men are forking out the big bucks to make themselves a bit taller.
Universal PicturesIn 2019, more than 30 men flocked to the LimbplastX Institute, a limb-lengthening medical practice based in Las Vegas, to add a few inches to their height.
It doesn’t come cheap – in order to add six inches to your height, the whole procedure can cost upwards of £57,180 ($75,000), depending on the individual patient.
However, Dr Kevin Debiparshad – who works at the clinic – says the procedure is growing increasingly popular despite the large costs.
LimbPlastXThe doctor told Mirror Online:
Over 90% of my patients, including those who have consulted with me, are male. Most on average are about 5’6” seeking a height increase of three inches. 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.
But how does it actually work? Are the patients laid out on a table with weights pulling down at either end? Do two people pull each side of a person like a Stretch Armstrong?
Not quite – the procedure lasts around one-and-a-half hours, and involves cutting open your leg bones and inserting a stretching device.
LimbPlastXDr Debiparshad explained:
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.
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.
Of course, you could just opt for ‘high heels, shoe inserts or similar devices’ to give yourself a boost. There are risks involved, similar to any type of surgery, but there’s a small chance ‘the bone may heal too quickly, not fast enough or you could experience muscle tightening’.
New Line CinemaWhile you may be taller, your wider abilities may also be affected. For example, with your newfound stature, ‘you can run and go to the gym, but you might not be able to sprint 100 meters in nine seconds’.
Is it really worth it? Will you really be happier if you’re a few inches taller? Maybe, maybe not. Think of the rollercoasters!
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.