Cosmetic leg shortening draws interest as more seek height reduction in Turkey

An Istanbul clinic is offering leg shortening surgery for cosmetic reasons, a procedure that can remove up to about 6 cm of bone from the femur in a four-hour operation and require months of rehabilitation. Amber Berrington, a 30-year-old dental technician who stood about 173 cm (5 ft 8 in), traveled to Turkey in July 2023 and underwent the operation, emerging roughly 4 cm shorter. She is one of about 10 patients who have sought leg shortening at Height Reduction, which opened in 2023 under Ibrahim Algan, a businessman and counsellor who previously established Wanna Be Taller to provide leg lengthening surgery. The clinic’s emergence follows a broader trend in limb surgery, with lengthening already more common in recent decades and increasingly pursued for cosmetic reasons as appearance standards and social media influence grow.

Amber’s decision stemmed from years of self-consciousness about her height. She recalls wanting to be “average size, like the rest of my friends,” and notes that while heels and insoles can alter perceived height, there are no practical shortcuts for someone already tall. The four-hour operation entails breaking the femur at two points, removing a bone segment of up to 6 cm, and rejoining the ends with a metal rod for stabilization. Recovery involves months of physiotherapy and, in many cases, a second procedure to remove hardware once the bone fuses. Amber says the immediate aftermath was marked by excruciating pain and immobility for days, followed by a long road to mobility. She spent roughly a month in Turkey and about $20,000 for the entire trip, including two weeks in a hotel, before returning to the United States and resuming work. She says the experience has left her happier with her height, but she cautions that the cost and recovery were significant considerations that might deter her from repeating the process.

The clinic’s founder, Ibrahim Algan, says leg shortening is catching on as the demand for once-rare cosmetic procedures grows. He said interest has surged since the late 2010s, noting that the opposite procedure—lengthening the legs—has become more established since its inception. Algan’s approach is that, while lengthening can be transformative, shortening offers another option for those who feel their height limits their self-esteem and quality of life. He points out that the body’s response to shortening depends on several variables, including height, muscular strength, and overall health, and that a precise surgical plan is essential.

Two patients featured in the case studies illustrate a broader spectrum of motivations and outcomes. Andreas Lundqvist, a 33-year-old from Stockholm, grew to 196 cm (about 6 ft 6 in) in adolescence and said the desire to be shorter began as a persistent internal struggle that bordered on body dysmorphia. In spring 2023, he traveled to Istanbul for what he described as a month-long stay and chose to remove more than 4 cm from his femur, just shy of the 6 cm practical maximum that still preserves function. He notes that the first week post-surgery was “horrible,” and while he is not yet back to his previous athletic level, the decision has reduced his long-standing angst and left him more content with his height. He cautions that this path is not for everyone and emphasizes careful consideration of risks.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Kevin Debiparshad, who operates at the LimbplastX Institute in Las Vegas, has observed a gradual rise in inquiries about shortening procedures. He says his clinic now performs five or six shortening operations a year, compared with just one or two when it opened nearly a decade ago. By contrast, the clinic performs roughly 50 lengthening surgeries each month, with about a quarter of those for cosmetic purposes. Debiparshad notes that advances in surgical techniques and devices, such as a new weight-bearing nail, may help shorten patients recover more quickly from lengthening surgeries, potentially shifting the balance of demand in the years ahead. He remains cautious about shortening, explaining that removing too much bone can weaken the lever system of the muscles and impede mobility. He estimates 6 cm as the ceiling for most patients and emphasizes that each case must be weighed individually.

Algan acknowledges that shortening is rare and still not well understood by many in the medical community or the public. He says the demand is likely to grow as people become more aware that shorter-height options exist and as global access improves. He also notes that interest has appeared among transgender patients seeking to align their bodies with their gender identity, though he cautions that demand in this area varies by region and individual circumstances. Still, he says, the overall trend remains that most people seek to be taller, not shorter, and the phenomenon is only beginning to be understood.

Amber left Florida for Istanbul with a difficult choice: risk the pain and long rehabilitation for a chance at lasting relief from height-related anxiety. She says she would not necessarily recommend the procedure to others; while she is happier now, the cost, the recovery, and the possibility of lasting complications are significant factors to weigh. The accounts of Amber and Andreas, along with medical professionals’ cautions, highlight a field still finding its footing as patients and surgeons navigate the psychological and physical risks of surgically altering height.

Historically, leg lengthening has its roots in the Ilizarov technique developed in the 1950s by Gavriil Ilizarov, a Soviet doctor who treated injured soldiers after World War II. Over time, improvements in hardware and surgical methods have made lengthening more commonplace, but shortening remains far less common and more controversial. In a landscape where social media amplifies appearance norms, advocates say more people may seek out options to alter height for personal well-being. Critics, meanwhile, emphasize the risks of bone collapse, nerve injury, and the possibility of a life-altering miscalculation.

As clinics expand and refine their approaches, patients and doctors alike say open, informed conversations about expectations, risks, and long-term outcomes are essential. For Amber, the journey began as a quest to fit a personal ideal of height, but it has yielded a broader reflection on how people define themselves in relation to their bodies—and how medical innovations intersect with evolving social pressures about appearance.