Four-hour leg shortening in Turkey highlights growing cosmetic height-reduction niche

Amber Berrington, 30, a dental technician from Florida, had long felt out of place in crowds because of her height. At 173 cm (5 ft 8 in), she says she always perceived herself as taller than her peers and believed height shaped how she was treated and perceived. After years of trying to fit in with heels or insoles, she searched the internet and found a Turkish clinic that advertises height reduction. In July 2023, she traveled to Istanbul for a four-hour operation that removed about 4 cm from her femur, making her roughly two inches shorter. The immediate days after surgery were marked by intense pain and limited mobility, but she says the procedure has changed her outlook, reducing the years of self-consciousness about height and the social pressure attached to it.

Amber is among ten patients who have undergone leg shortening at Height Reduction, a clinic opened in 2023 in Istanbul by Ibrahim Algan. The entrepreneur previously started Wanna Be Taller, a clinic that performs leg lengthening and has since grown to about 80 operations annually, with women making up roughly a quarter of patients. Algan, who has personal experience with leg lengthening, says there was no prior dedicated center for cosmetic shortening and that the new clinic aims to address a small but growing demand for height reduction by removing bone segments from both legs when needed. The shift mirrors a broader evolution in limb surgery, where advances in fixation technology and anesthesia, along with shifting social attitudes toward appearance, have opened the door to more cosmetic options. The clinic emphasizes patient safety and informed decision making while acknowledging the novelty of shortening in the cosmetic space.

Beyond the individual stories, the practice sits in a longer history of limb-length surgery. Leg lengthening dates back to the Ilizarov technique developed in the 1950s by Gavriil Ilizarov, designed for reconstructive purposes after injuries. In recent years, advances in fixation devices and postoperative rehabilitation have broadened its use to cosmetic goals. Shortening, while conceptually straightforward, presents unique challenges because removing bone reduces the lever available for muscles and can affect stability. Algan emphasizes that any shortening must balance the patient’s height, muscular conditioning, and overall function.

Amber’s recovery was lengthy. The four-hour operation involved breaking the femur in two places, removing a bone segment up to about 6 cm, and stabilizing the remaining bone with an internal nail. The immediate period after surgery featured severe pain and immobility, with Amber nearly fainting during initial attempts to walk with the hospital-provided walker. Recovery required ongoing physiotherapy and a second procedure in the United States to remove the internal rods once the bone fused. About nine months in, Amber regained mobility, and within about a year she says her leg proportions settled. She notes that those around her did not visibly notice the change, which she views as a personal matter and part of an ongoing adjustment to life with a different height.

Andreas Lundqvist, a 33-year-old warehouse manager from Stockholm, is another patient who pursued shortening after years of self-consciousness about height. He traveled to Istanbul in spring 2023 for shortening surgery and removed about 4 cm from his femur, reducing his height from 196 cm to roughly 191 cm. He describes the first week after surgery as brutal, with pain and restricted movement, and says the overall recovery has been lengthy. He credits the procedure with reducing the psychological burden of being exceptionally tall, though he cautions that the long-term athletic ability may not return to what it was before.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Kevin Debiparshad, who runs the LimbplastX Institute in Las Vegas, has observed growing interest in shortening but says the surgery is not widely accepted. He notes the learning curve is steep and emphasizes that the decision about how much bone to remove must consider the patient’s height, flexibility, and functional goals. He estimates that around 6 cm is the maximum practical shortening, with more risk if too much bone is removed. Debiparshad points to new devices that could speed rehabilitation for leg lengthening patients and suggests that the balance of demand could shift toward shortening as technology improves. He notes that the market for cosmetic lengthening remains the larger share of the business and that shortening remains rare, though inquiries have continued from around the world, including an American woman who was 190 cm tall and pursued shortening, illustrating that the niche reaches well beyond Europe. While shortening remains uncommon, proponents argue that, when done correctly, it can reduce distress and improve quality of life for some individuals.

Algan reports inquiries come from all over the world, including transgender patients seeking changes that align with their desired appearance. He notes that some patients from Asia view their height as a factor that makes them feel different, while others seek a shorter stature for social comfort. He mentions an American woman who was 190 cm tall and pursued shortening, illustrating that the niche reaches well beyond Europe. While shortening remains uncommon, it is presented by proponents as a potential avenue to reduce distress and improve quality of life for some individuals, provided the procedure is carefully planned and executed by experienced surgeons.

Amber, speaking years after the surgery, says she is glad to be shorter but cautions that the decision is not one to be taken lightly. She acknowledges the high cost and lengthy recovery and says she would not necessarily recommend the procedure to others without a compelling personal reason. Her experience highlights the emotional dimension of cases where height is a central element of identity, as well as the medical and logistical considerations that accompany cosmetic limb procedures.

Health professionals say the field is still developing and stress the importance of seeking care from experienced surgeons, with a focus on safety, rehabilitation, and realistic expectations. While leg-lengthening has grown more common, shortening remains a minority option that may attract more attention as technology improves and social norms continue to evolve. The stories of Amber and others illuminate a broader question about how people navigate body image and health in a world where cosmetic procedures increasingly intersect with functional outcomes.