Home / Health / Extreme Surgery: Britons Risk Disability for Inches
Extreme Surgery: Britons Risk Disability for Inches
23 May
Summary
- Tourists travel to Istanbul for leg lengthening surgery.
- NHS warns of risks including permanent disability.
- Clinic offers procedure for £20,000, significantly cheaper than UK costs.
Tourists are flocking to Istanbul for a radical cosmetic surgery to increase their height, with Britons among those opting for the procedure. Surgeons at clinics like Wannabetaller saw through leg bones, gradually separating them over months to encourage new bone growth and add inches.
The NHS has strongly cautioned against this painful operation, emphasizing significant risks including infection, nerve damage, and even permanent disability. The procedure, known as distraction osteogenesis, involves breaking the femur or tibia and slowly extending the bone segments.
Historically costly, the surgery is now offered in Istanbul for around £20,000, attracting individuals motivated by self-esteem issues and past teasing about their height. Patients undergo a multi-month recovery, often involving intensive physiotherapy at specialized rehabilitation facilities.
Despite the NHS's advisories against cosmetic leg lengthening abroad, citing the grueling recovery and severe potential complications, the allure of increased height continues to draw international patients to Turkey seeking a boost in confidence.
