The National Organization of Short Statured Adults receives hundreds of e-mails each year from people requesting more information about Cosmetic Leg Lengthening. The organization does not support this surgery. If leg lengthening surgery were similar to a face lift or nose job, there wouldn’t be much of an issue. But it is not. Leg Lengthening procedures are dangerous, complex, expensive and painful. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. The surgery is highly invasive and requires long recovery times. For six months the patient must use a wheelchair and can walk only with a lot of help and a lot of pain. In the United State the operation costs $85,000 for 5cm of lengthening and can go as high as $140,000 if there are complications. Many patients opt to have the surgery in developing countries where the procedure can be done for less money. In these facilities, patients may find that the medical and nursing care to be far below their expectations. Pain medication may be inadequate for the job. Doctors who do the surgery are sometimes not even qualified to perform this specialized procedure. Risks include bone infection, injury to blood vessels, non-unions, angulations, nerve injury, and unequal leg lengths. For all these reasons we strongly urge those considering the operation to reconsider. You will get more out of life if you strive to accept yourself as you are...short height and all.