People are willing to go to extremes to be beautiful, and to
enjoy the benefits of confidence. Whether or not you agree with conventional
notions of what makes someone "attractive", there are certain ideas of how
people should appear. In American culture, women are said to seek "tall, dark,
and handsome", while men are assumed to search for the "tall, model-type"
woman. These are just stereotypes, of course, but some people take them to
heart.
Dealing with the genes we're dealt is no longer necessary.
With advances in cosmetic surgery, you can change anything about yourself that
you find unflattering - whether it requires a nose job or calf implants. Now, you
can change even your height by going under the knife. Limb lengthening is a
complex procedure that was reserved originally for children with disproportionate
leg lengths. It was also an option for people born with dwarfism, and to give
people with Constitutional Short Stature extra inches of height. Constitutional
Short Stature affects people who were born in the bottom fifth percentile of
height (in their region), but who do not display the characteristics associated
with dwarfism.
There are two types of limb lengthening: the Ilizarov method
out of China, and a newer
procedure at the Betz Institute in Germany. [Author's note: if you
have a weak stomach (like me), you might not want to read the full explanation
of these surgeries]
The Ilizarov Method
The Ilizarov method has four stages: preparation, surgery,
lengthening, and strengthening. The preparation stage involves consulting with
a physician to have X-rays taken. The X-rays allow a custom Illizarov external-fixator
device to be built for the patient.
The Ilizarov surgery consists of breaking the tibia and
fibula bones in each leg. The external fixator is attached to each half of the
bone with pins that go through holes in the patient's skin. Over the next few
months, the fixator is lengthened and new bone growth occurs slowly (about 1 mm
a day). The patient is confined to a wheelchair during this time to prevent
putting any weight on the growing bone; however, the patient is also scheduled
for a few hours of physical therapy each day.
The final stage of the Ilizarov method is strengthening. The
patient remains confined to a wheelchair for the next 3 - 6 months as the new
bone gains strength. The external fixator remains on the leg, but is no longer
attached. Physical therapy is reduced to three times a week. At the end of this
phase, the fixator is removed and the patient can generally walk without
assistance; however, a cast is sometimes necessary to protect the leg for an
additional month.
Check out part 2 of this article, right here in Kate's Controversies.
| 
Re: When I Grow Up, I Want To Be a Giant (Part 1)
