During his honeymoon in Kuala Lumpur, Frank stood by his hotel window, gazing at the gleaming twin towers—the world’s tallest skyscrapers—when he decided it was time to grow taller. He had recently confided in his new wife about how his height had haunted him since his teens. A man committed to self-improvement, Frank took action. He called a Turkish clinic specializing in leg-lengthening surgery and booked the procedure.
“I had doubts—after all, someone was going to break my legs,” Frank admits, sitting on a hotel bed in Istanbul with braces strapped to his thighs. His wife, Emilia, helps him with painkillers and ice packs for the wounds where the braces pierce his skin. For the first two weeks post-surgery, she had to assist him even with using the toilet. Now, six weeks in, he mostly just needs help getting out of bed.
An alarm interrupts our conversation—time to turn the key. Frank inserts it into the metal brace on his thigh, twisting to separate the rods implanted in his femurs. Each turn forces new bone to grow into the gap, millimeter by agonizing millimeter. Doctors recommend four turns a day, but Frank pushes for five, squeezing out an extra quarter-centimeter of height. “Time to grow!” Emilia jokes as the alarm beeps.
At 5’6″ (1.7m), slightly below the global average for men, Frank, 38, has always felt “short.” But at Istanbul’s Wanna Be Taller clinic, shortness is relative. Some patients tower over six feet. One man claims he needed surgery to fix bow legs and opted for extra height. A rare female patient, previously 5’3″, stares me down, deadpanning that society still tolerates height bias—her reason for gaining two inches. (The clinic also offers leg-shortening, though only nine patients—mostly women—have chosen it.)
Frank aims to surpass Emilia’s 5’5″ by growing 9cm—just beyond the 8.5cm doctors deem safe. That would put him at 5’9″, his dream: average height. Five daily turns mean over a millimeter of growth per day for ten weeks. “Sometimes the nerve pain is unbearable,” he admits.
A self-proclaimed go-getter, Frank has “self-made” tattooed on his knuckles and Schwarzenegger’s face on his thigh—now stretching as he grows. “I’m choosing my own height,” he says. “If I want something, I go for it. Until I get it, it eats at me.”
To an outsider, the process looks like medieval torture. Earlier, I watched Frank wince as a physiotherapist lifted his legs, his hamstrings resisting like taut ropes. Yet he endures, driven by the promise of standing taller—one painful turn at a time.He might snap. He’s recovering from the first of two surgeries—this one involved breaking his femurs to insert metal rods and attach external fixators. The second surgery, scheduled for three months later, will remove the fixators once he completes the gradual lengthening process. Some patients opt to have their shin bones broken as well, or instead, in hopes of gaining even more height.
While having your leg bones cut in half sounds painful enough, the real suffering comes afterward. In a hotel on the outskirts of Istanbul—built with what looks like plasterboard and fake gold leaf—about 20 leg-lengthening patients spend their days focused on stretching their muscles and tendons to accommodate their growing bones. This means daily physiotherapy to relearn how to walk, blood thinners, massages, and heavy painkiller use. Though global statistics are scarce, one Indian market research firm estimates the limb-lengthening industry could grow to $8.6 billion by 2030.
“I always tell them, 1cm isn’t worth risking your health,” says Serkan Aksoy from Wanna Be Taller, who oversees Frank’s recovery. Most of their patients are men, and Aksoy often has to talk them out of pursuing excessive height gains. From the clinic’s perspective, the biggest risks come from patients neglecting aftercare, but complications—and even deaths—do happen. Potential issues include blood clots, joint problems, failed bone growth, blood vessel damage, scarring, chronic pain, and “ballerina syndrome,” where tight Achilles tendons force the feet into an unnatural arch, making walking impossible. Last year, a patient from Saudi Arabia died from a blood clot 16 days after surgery. When questioned, Wanna Be Taller said Saudi authorities found no fault with their surgeon.
Frank chose a cheaper option using external fixators rather than an internal electronic device, but the $32,000 cost—covering months of hotel stays and physiotherapy—has eaten into the savings he and his wife Emilia had set aside for a house downpayment. When asked about this, Emilia explains how their travels across Asia shifted their priorities. They realized they’d been too focused on material possessions rather than true happiness. “Having food, a comfortable bed—that’s real happiness,” she says. “If buying a house comes next, we’ll do it. And if breaking your legs to be taller is what you want, go for it.”
The concept of breaking bones to adjust limb length is often credited to Soviet surgeon Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov, who developed the “Ilizarov technique” in 1951. His method used external metal rings and pins to stabilize broken bones, allowing gradual separation to encourage new bone growth in the gap. This technique is now used worldwide.
While modern methods are more advanced, the principle remains the same. Today, leg lengthening is even available through the UK’s NHS at a specialized clinic in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. However, a spokesperson for the hospital’s limb reconstruction unit notes that most of their 100 annual patients are there for injury recovery or deformity correction—very few are undergoing elective double-leg lengthening.
The same spokesperson expressed concerns about patients traveling abroad for “a high-risk procedure with demanding rehabilitation.” They warned that some clinics may downplay the dangers while exaggerating the benefits.The pursuit of cosmetic benefits and inadequate aftercare often lead to complications. The NHS frequently treats patients who experience problems after undergoing surgery abroad. A study by the RNOH highlighted the substantial financial burden these botched cosmetic leg-lengthening procedures place on the NHS.
In China, the health ministry banned cosmetic leg lengthening in 2006 due to concerns over patient safety in an unregulated and expanding industry. However, the practice continues in other countries. In the UK, private treatment can exceed £50,000, with some surgeons charging up to £240,000 for lengthening two bones in each leg. The lower costs in Turkey attract patients from as far as Australia and Japan.
Frank recalls a lifetime of negative experiences tied to his height, beginning in adolescence. At around 15, he stopped growing while his friends continued to get taller. He endured taunts at school, and even an admirer of his artwork remarked upon meeting him, “You’re shorter than I expected.” A few years ago, strangers shoved him in the street, tearing out his headphones—something he believes wouldn’t have happened if he were taller. “Tall people don’t realize their privilege,” he says. “Being a short man in modern society feels like a curse.”
Dating was particularly painful before he met Emilia. One woman, six inches shorter than him, immediately told him he was too short for her. Such experiences, he says, are common among his short male friends. Even dating apps like Tinder now allow users to filter matches by height. “Now even tall men face pressure—the new standard seems to be 6’4″, or you’re nothing,” he says.
Years of frustration led Frank to discover leg-lengthening surgery through a YouTube video.
Our conversation shifts to masculinity. Recent trends show young men in the UK spending more on cosmetic tweaks like Botox—jokingly called “Brotox.” The rise of the “manosphere” idolizes hyper-masculine figures like Joe Rogan or a Photoshopped Donald Trump. But Frank dismisses the idea that his surgery was about masculinity or power. “It’s not about being more masculine—just average height,” he insists.
Shortly after our talk, Frank woke one night in excruciating pain, struggling to breathe. Ice packs did little to help, and he was rushed to the hospital with a pulmonary embolism—a life-threatening blood clot in his lung. A representative from Wanna Be Taller later confirmed that only two of their 700 clients, including Frank and a Saudi patient, had experienced clots post-surgery. Frank required stronger blood thinners. While rare, such complications can be fatal, as seen with the Saudi patient.
Even from his hospital bed, in unbearable pain, Frank…Frank kept turning the key on his leg lengthening devices, but after consulting his doctor, he learned his nerves and tendons had reached their limit—he couldn’t straighten his legs anymore. The fixators had to be removed early, stopping his growth. He’d gained 7.3 cm, just shy of his 5’9″ goal.
Frank insists he won’t treat shorter men differently now, but one encounter with another patient stuck with him. “For the first time, I saw him as a short man—not in a bad way, but I understood why people saw me that way before. And I felt tall next to him. Now, whenever a woman stands near me, she’s usually shorter,” he says, unable to hide his delight.
“Seeing the difference between me and her makes it all worth it,” he adds, gesturing toward Emilia.
Some names have been changed.
FAQS
### **FAQs About “Being Short is a Curse”: Leg-Lengthening Surgery for Men**
#### **Basic Questions**
**1. What is leg-lengthening surgery?**
Leg-lengthening surgery is a medical procedure where bones are broken and gradually stretched to increase height.
**2. Why do some men consider this surgery?**
Many feel societal pressure, face discrimination, or struggle with confidence due to being short. They believe extra height will improve their social, romantic, or professional lives.
**3. How much height can you gain from this surgery?**
Typically, 2 to 3 inches, though some procedures claim up to 6 inches with higher risks.
**4. How much does it cost?**
Prices range from **$70,000 to $150,000**, depending on the country, surgeon, and method used.
**5. Is the surgery painful?**
Yes—breaking bones and stretching them over months causes significant pain during recovery.
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#### **Procedure & Recovery**
**6. How does the surgery work?**
The bone is cut, and an internal rod or external fixator slowly pulls the bone apart as new tissue forms, lengthening the limb.
**7. How long does recovery take?**
Full recovery takes **6 to 12 months**, with physical therapy needed to regain strength and mobility.
**8. Can you walk during recovery?**
For the first few months, mobility is limited—crutches or a wheelchair are often needed.
**9. What are the risks?**
Complications include infections, nerve damage, uneven legs, arthritis, and permanent limp or disability.
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#### **Social & Psychological Aspects**
**10. Do women find taller men more attractive?**
Studies show many women prefer taller partners, but confidence and personality matter just as much.
**11. Are there non-surgical ways to appear taller?**
Yes—elevator shoes, posture improvement, and tailored clothing can add **1-3 inches** without surgery.
**12. Do employers really discriminate based on height?**
Some studies suggest taller men earn more and are perceived as more authoritative, but skills and experience are still key.
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#### **Advanced Considerations**
