Do you sometimes wish that you were a couple of inches taller? Controversial leg lengthening cosmetic surgery may be the answer.

Although leg lengthening is not a new surgery, it has typically been used to help people who have limbs of unequal length or to help correct the medical condition dwarfism. However increasing numbers of people are now looking at leg lengthening surgery for cosmetic reasons.

The surgery is no breeze either – patients must be fit and healthy prior to the surgery and have strong bones. The operation itself usually lasts between 4 and 6 hours and patients although the average height gain is two and half inches, patients can gain up to 6 inches in height – although 4 inches is the maximum gain in a single operation.

The majority of patients undergoing the height-increasing cosmetic surgery are in their 20s and 30s. Around a third of these are women.

The operation itself sees a hole being drilled through the centre of the thigh bone from the top end. A surgical saw is then used to cut the bone in half at around the middle of the thigh. A telescopic rod is then inserted into the centre of the bone and secured using screws.

Once the incisions have been closed, each leg is turned inwards and outwards to lengthen the rod. The leg is elongated by 0.4 inches during the actual surgery and the patient must then click their own legs 15 times each way a day to give daily growth of 0.04 inches. This must be followed until the desired height is reached – however there are limits on the amount that the body can take and this will determine how long the patient will be able to lengthen their legs by.

Aside from the normal risks associated with invasive surgery, the daily clicking can cause pain and discomfort. This is because the muscles and the tendons need to stretch and adapt to their ‘new’ legs. Different patients will feel different levels of pain associated with the clicking procedure. There is also the danger that the bone will not heal properly or heal in an unusual shape that could see the bone become deformed.

The day after surgery, patients must start a rigorous exercise scheme that seems them beginning with cycling and stretching exercises. Initially, patients will have to walk with a frame however most will be able to walk with the aid of crutches about a fortnight to a month after surgery. The fittest patients will be able to walk normally after four months, although some patients may find their recovery time is a lot longer.

The bone itself will take around 8 months to fuse properly and it is at this point that most patients will be able to take up sports again. Around 18 months after the initial surgery, a second surgery takes place to remove the screws from the thigh bones.