More men are getting leg lengthening or limb lengthening surgery to increase their height.
@le_tremba 182,5cm rn (+10cm) #limblengthening #height #heightproblems #shortpeopleproblems #trends #fy #istanbul #livelifetaller #viral #foryou #tall #surgery #motivation #xybca #mindset ♬ original sound – Joey
The Facts
- Demand for cosmetic leg lengthening is on the rise, particularly among young men. The hashtag #limblengthening has over 288.9 million views on TikTok
- Leg lengthening surgery is a four-hour-long operation that involves cutting the thigh bones in each leg and inserting rods inside them. For the next three to four months after the operation, the rods are lengthened by up to 0.04 inches per day, using an external remote control. New bone grows over the rods. The final step of leg lengthening surgery is a one-hour-long procedure to remove the rods.
- Leg lengthening surgery can cost upwards of $75,000. The entire process can take six to nine months and patients have to do aggressive daily physical therapy.
- The risks include nerve injury and a loss of a range of motion. Some patients may lose the ability to jump or sprint.
- There is theoretically no limit to how tall patients can grow with leg lengthening surgery. But most doctors will only allow a maximum height increase of 6.3 inches over multiple surgeries.
Why it matters: More young men are turning to leg-lengthening surgery in a bid to look more “masculine”
- Despite the rise of the “short king” in modern dating culture — which encouraged people to confront society’s overvaluation of men’s height and celebrate males of shorter stature — young men still associate tallness with “manliness.” And they’re looking to cosmetic surgery to reach these heights.
- Research has also shown that there are economic and personal benefits to being taller as a man. Data shows a 6-foot person is predicted to earn $166,000 more than a 5’5″ person over a 30-year career.
- Despite the “short king” movement, a 2022 study showed that in the U.S., women prefer taller men relative to both their own heights and the national average. Meanwhile, another study suggested 80% of men admit to lying about their height on dating apps and believe a shorter height impedes their romantic prospects.
 
Read more: Men are not just increasing their height to seem more masculine. There has also been an uptick in young men undergoing jaw surgery to appear more manly.
