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[sashawiak]

Hi, I've been stalking this forum for about 7 or 8 months now, going through the most affordable doctors, trying to figure out who knows what they're doing and who doesn't. Right now I'm definitely interested in Dr. Parihar for external tibia leghthening. Still considering other doctors while I'm saving up money. But basically I'd LOVE to be 7 cm taller, and from what I've read a few patients have successfully done 8+ cm. If I were to make it to my goal height, I would definitely stop there, even if I had a miraculously easier journey than most LL patients, I don't want to push myself too far. That being said, I'm also DEFINITELY prepared to listen to my body/doctor if I had to cap it at like 5 cm, I'd rather lose a few cms off my goal than put myself through a myriad of complications. So 7 cm is the dream, but I'll stop early if I can't handle it.

So a little bit about me, I'm a 19 year old girl. I'm 158 centimeters tall with a dream height of 165. That would put me at an average height for a woman in the United States. I'm no athlete or anything, but I like to stay active. I try to jog at least 30 minutes everyday, I also tend to walk or bike at least another 3 miles a day to burn off some energy throughout the day + it feels good. So I'm not a couch potato, but not an athlete either. Never broken a bone before, not even strained so no prior leg injuries to worry about for me. I don't know if this matters but I weigh 44 kg. I'm going to start a strict stretching routine everyday too since I've seen so many people stressing how important flexibility will be before leghthening.

It's funny, I used to be really tall as a child. Really tall and skinny, if you've ever seen a model post a throwback picture of herself as a kid I looked a lot like that, notiblebly taller than my peers and freakishly long skinny limbs. That obviously didn't last long, which was kind of heartbreaking for me. Always thought I was going to end up tall or at the very least average height as an adult. I stopped growing at 14 and I was devastated. So when I found out about LL, I thought it was insane, only crazy people would do it. But the more I researched and the more patient diaries I read, the more and more I started actually considering it for myself. I think my self confidence is going to improve drastically if I made it to 165, or even 162. I won't feel trapped in a child's body anymore. Won't have to live in heels just to feel normal height. Anyway, this is getting long so I'm going to stop here.

So any advice? Words of support? Tell me I'm aiming too high? I just really want to talk to people who are going to or have already done LL. Finally found a group of people who understand the plight of being short.

[onemorefoot]

Just go with a good doctor and dont do ridiculous amounts of lengthening, 7 cm is good but with an internal method and in the femurs.

[sashawiak]

Oh, and my wingspan is around 5'4 so I think proportionately I'll be fine, I basically live in 3 inch heels and I think I look a lot better that way than I do without them.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

You can do 7cm if you would go for internal femurs just keep it in mind, more cms=bigger risk.
And keep it in mind, scars can get pretty ugly and as i've seen one girl in my one orthopedic centre, you need to think about it so you won't regret it later on.

I can relate to "child's body" mindset, it can get pretty devastating sometimes. I had even one cashier thinking my ID is fake when i wanted to buy alcohol...

And by the way girls mostly finish growing up around 14-15 years old, i finished when i was 12 and im a guy. And yea, i was pretty tall as kid too(4.5kg when born, mostly in 70% percentage).

Your mindset is pretty healthy so idk, make mockups and check how would you look like after 7cm i guess.

[Lgazer]

Most American girls are below 5'5. I would say 5'3 is average nowadays among Caucasians other etniae being shorter
If you feel bad about height Parihar seems good and external tib can be done for a good price. Kilokahn is happy

[sashawiak]

Just go with a good doctor and dont do ridiculous amounts of lengthening, 7 cm is good but with an internal method and in the femurs.

Internal femurs do sound ideal, but they're just so damn expensive lol. Externals I could see doing in the next year with Parihar, but internal I'd probably have to save up for at least 2-3 more years which is not ideal but if that ends up being the only safe method for 7 cm I could make myself wait and work. I've seen some successful external 7 cm diaries and some that really went wrong for other people. It's definitely a tough decision.

You can do 7cm if you would go for internal femurs just keep it in mind, more cms=bigger risk.
And keep it in mind, scars can get pretty ugly and as i've seen one girl in my one orthopedic centre, you need to think about it so you won't regret it later on.

I can relate to "child's body" mindset, it can get pretty devastating sometimes. I had even one cashier thinking my ID is fake when i wanted to buy alcohol...

And by the way girls mostly finish growing up around 14-15 years old, i finished when i was 12 and im a guy. And yea, i was pretty tall as kid too(4.5kg when born, mostly in 70% percentage).

Your mindset is pretty healthy so idk, make mockups and check how would you look like after 7cm i guess.

I've yet to consult with any LL doctors about what they think so it'll play a huge factor on whether I chose external or internal. Which doctor did your surgery if I may ask? I've seen some external without nail scars and they don't look very bad, plus there's scar treatments after so scarring isn't my biggest concern. Would I be okay with a few scars in exchange for 3 inches of height? Hell yeah.

Ugh, I know exactly how it feels. People always think I'm 13-14 years old, always middle school or early high school age and it sucks ass to not feel like you're an adult in other people's eyes.

Mentally I'm sure I could go through with this as long as I don't end up with a butcher Doctor.

Does anyone on the forums do mock ups? I have no idea how to do them myself.

Most American girls are below 5'5. I would say 5'3 is average nowadays among Caucasians other etniae being shorter
If you feel bad about height Parihar seems good and external tib can be done for a good price. Kilokahn is happy

All my friends are like 5'6+ I swear. The only people my height where I live are 6th graders lol. My town is full of really tall people. Anyway, I know I would be 100x happier at 5'5 than I would at 5'2. Then I'll just live the rest of my life going to university and being a biologist or something similar. I'm assuming he has a patient diary? I'll definitely look into that.

One thing I noticed is even if patients here have complications, they seem to be so much happier by the end of their journey. It's amazing what a few inches can do to improve someone's outlook on life. That's what really got me into this.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=89.0 Here is a mockup tutorial.

Which doctor did your surgery if I may ask?

Well that wasn't a cosmetic patient so it doesn't really matter. But the surgeon is one of the biggest names in country.

One thing I noticed is even if patients here have complications, they seem to be so much happier by the end of their journey. It's amazing what a few inches can do to improve someone's outlook on life. That's what really got me into this.

I think it's more about all that crap behind them. Remember this surgery makes you taller but it doesn't solve your life problems.
It won't change much if you aren't happy already.

[sashawiak]

Honestly, the only thing that really troubles me in life right now is my height. I'd love to just feel normal compared to women my age. Other than that, my life is pretty good. Normal family, friends, plans to go to college next year and then transfer to one of the best science universities in the entire country and study for at least 6 years (or more), by then hopefully LL will be done and behind me by then.  Maybe height shouldn't matter to me, but it always bugs me. But that's why 90% of us are here, right?

And thanks for the link.

[KiloKAHN]

Dr Parihar and his team are great, but he has some requirements to be aware of.

1) You have to provide a contact who is aware that you are having leg lengthening. You can't keep your CLL a total secret because of this if he's your surgeon.
2) You will stay in Mumbai for the entire lengthening phase
3) You will not lengthen over 6 cm on the tibiae for LON or external fixation (he may let you go over 6 cm in tibias with internal Precice but I haven't asked).

These are what my scars look like 2 years after leg lengthening.

http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=634.msg53104#msg53104


You can and probably will run into complications like equinus contracture and knee bending between 5 - 6 cm of lengthening. Bone misalignment can also happen. They all can be corrected but take time.

Permanent side-effects to CLL can be scar sensitivity, periods of tingling/numbness in the lengthened legs, bone pain when the weather gets cold, knee pain when kneeling on a hard surface (if a nail is inserted during surgery), tightness in the calves, etc.

[onemorefoot]

Why is safer tibias with internal nails than with LON???

[Penguinn]

We share a lot of common traits except I'm male and Indian. 5'2, wingspan of 5'4 and going to 5'5.

Dr. Parihar's a pro with externals but note that he won't let you do more than 6cms in your tibias. If money's an issue and you're cool with gaining 6cms, do externals. If you want to do 3 inches, you'll have to do internals(in your femurs) and they're way more expensive but will also give you long thighs and less scars(besides less pain and a faster recovery)- ideal for a woman. Also at 44kg, weight bearing will be a piece of cake for you. Do Precice if you can afford it.

You seem reasonable, I'm sure you'll be ok.

[sashawiak]

Dr Parihar and his team are great, but he has some requirements to be aware of.

1) You have to provide a contact who is aware that you are having leg lengthening. You can't keep your CLL a total secret because of this if he's your surgeon.
2) You will stay in Mumbai for the entire lengthening phase
3) You will not lengthen over 6 cm on the tibiae for LON or external fixation (he may let you go over 6 cm in tibias with internal Precice but I haven't asked).

These are what my scars look like 2 years after leg lengthening.

http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=634.msg53104#msg53104


You can and probably will run into complications like equinus contracture and knee bending between 5 - 6 cm of lengthening. Bone misalignment can also happen. They all can be corrected but take time.

Permanent side-effects to CLL can be scar sensitivity, periods of tingling/numbness in the lengthened legs, bone pain when the weather gets cold, knee pain when kneeling on a hard surface (if a nail is inserted during surgery), tightness in the calves, etc.

Thanks for all the info! 6 cm sounds okay, it's no 7 cm but it's still a good 2.4 inches overall. Better safe than sorry. I'll send him and email and see what we can do.

Where did you stay in Mumbai? I know he doesn't have a guesthouse which is honestly my big concern, I definitely don't want to fly back to the US with an external device on and be that far away from the doctor while lengthening, too scary.

Wow, most of the scars I've seen weren't as dark as yours. So I'll definitely do scar revision after. If all else fails, I can just wear skinny jeans everyday, which I pretty much already do.

 

Why is safer tibias with internal nails than with LON???

I'm 19 and don't have a college degree (yet) so making money takes forever. Wonder if Donald Trump will give me a small loan of a million dollars.

We share a lot of common traits except I'm male and Indian. 5'2, wingspan of 5'4 and going to 5'5.

Dr. Parihar's a pro with externals but note that he won't let you do more than 6cms in your tibias. If money's an issue and you're cool with gaining 6cms, do externals. If you want to do 3 inches, you'll have to do internals(in your femurs) and they're way more expensive but will also give you long thighs and less scars(besides less pain and a faster recovery)- ideal for a woman. Also at 44kg, weight bearing will be a piece of cake for you. Do Precice if you can afford it.

You seem reasonable, I'm sure you'll be ok.

Hey, a fellow 5'2er, awesome. Someone knows how I feel lol. But I'm sure it's harder to be a short guy than it is to be a short girl, from what I'm reading here.
I know some people do 2 surgeries to gain more height, and I mean, I don't even wanna THINK about that until my first operation is said and done. I see a lot of people here plan to do 2 off the bat. 6 cm is okay to me. If he had a limit of like 4 cm or something I would say it's not worth it. 6 cm is good enough for me! I swear I've seen people do 10 cm in one segment. What's up with that? Can someone even recover after that? That's too much for me...

If there was a doctor doing internal for like 30K who knew what they were doing, that would be great. But if 42K is the cheapest on the market I will most likely do external.

But thank you! Yeah I saw some had a weight limit of 60 kg for weight baring, and I was like thank god I have the body type of a 13 year old hahaha. I saw you're only 18 and doing internal, good luck! I wish I had the money. I don't know if I can a bank loan to cover at least some of it.

[Penguinn]

Hey, a fellow 5'2er, awesome. Someone knows how I feel lol. But I'm sure it's harder to be a short guy than it is to be a short girl, from what I'm reading here.

Infinitely. Women are judged on looks and figure 50x more than height.

I know some people do 2 surgeries to gain more height, and I mean, I don't even wanna THINK about that until my first operation is said and done. I see a lot of people here plan to do 2 off the bat. 6 cm is okay to me. If he had a limit of like 4 cm or something I would say it's not worth it. 6 cm is good enough for me! I swear I've seen people do 10 cm in one segment. What's up with that? Can someone even recover after that? That's too much for me...

You'll notice most people planning 2 surgeries haven't done LL yet. Once you do, you'll be longing to get off the cripple train and be normal. 6cm should be good. Wouldn't you be happy with 5'4.5? Yeah, 10cms in one segment is a big hit to ability and proportions.

If there was a doctor doing internal for like 30K who knew what they were doing, that would be great. But if 42K is the cheapest on the market I will most likely do external.

It went over 42K for me. There are doctors with shady nails doing LL for cheaper but I would not go or send a loved one to them.

But thank you! Yeah I saw some had a weight limit of 60 kg for weight baring, and I was like thank god I have the body type of a 13 year old hahaha. I saw you're only 18 and doing internal, good luck! I wish I had the money. I don't know if I can a bank loan to cover at least some of it.

Since you can't afford internals and can be a 5'4+ woman with a single LL, look into externals. I don't know how the scars are dealt with though.

[sashawiak]

I believe you! It sucks guys are judged so harshly for height. I mean, at least weight is usually something you can control naturally unless you have a medical condition. Fortunately for me I've always been a skinny bitch.
The only way my height has really affected by dating life is getting hit on by mostly 12-14 year old boys. Probably because I look the same age as them. My friends think it's hilarious. One time though, I did get approached by a 6'7 guy at a Starbucks, he was really nice but waaaaay too tall for me. He must have been a college basketball player or something, dwarfed everyone in the store. I would probably  look more like daughter than a date compared to him lol. Anyway, I hope everything goes well in your LL, if only I had the money to external!

I've seen how apotheosis gained like 8 inches total. I don't know how he recovered so well, or where the hell he got money to do all that. That's so crazy to me. Maybe that's why a lot of people have plans for 2 operations and maximum gains. I also saw this girl who was 4'11 1/2 and got to 5'3 1/2 after the first operation, then she went into surgery a second time to get to 5'7 1/2. I haven't been able to find that diary but last time I did read it, it hadn't been updates for many many months. I hope she's okay...

What about LON/LATN? Cheaper than internal and faster recovery time? Maybe that's a good middle ground for me. All these methods are confusing me. 5'4 1/2 sounds pretty nice. It's no 5'5 or 5'6 but it's significantly taller still.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=95.0 Here are all methods in detail.

I personaly aim to do both segments at once but mostly around 5-4cm per one. Imho 4 inches is the maximum amount of height you can pull off and still look reasonably proportionate.

[sashawiak]

http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=95.0 Here are all methods in detail.

I personaly aim to do both segments at once but mostly around 5-4cm per one. Imho 4 inches is the maximum amount of height you can pull off and still look reasonably proportionate.

Oh cool. Seems like a reasonable amount to me. How long will it take for both though?  Good luck.

Thanks for the link. Gonna do a hell of a lot of research before I do go through with this. It's much easier to navigate this forum now that I have an account.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

Oh cool. Seems like a reasonable amount to me. How long will it take for both though?  Good luck.

Depends how would you plan the surgery. You can do everything at once or with a break of 3 weeks.

Eventually you can do one segment, consolidate and then do the second but i don't have that much of a life to waste.

[sashawiak]

You mean both at the same time? I thought that was dangerous.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

You mean both at the same time? I thought that was dangerous.

Ye doing both at the same time has a higher risk of fat embolism, that's why a lot of surgeons make a 3 weeks break. Tbh it's something that i will decide with my future doctor and choose the way he is most comfortable with.

[onemorefoot]

Do both segments, but leave a time, we can say 1 or 2 years.

[sashawiak]

Ye doing both at the same time has a higher risk of fat embolism, that's why a lot of surgeons make a 3 weeks break. Tbh it's something that i will decide with my future doctor and choose the way he is most comfortable with.

You're braver than me. Are you planning to do a patient diary? I'd love to read it. I wish you the bestttt of luck with all that.

Do both segments, but leave a time, we can say 1 or 2 years.

That's what I would probably do if I wanted to leghthen more than 2.5-3 inches.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

You're braver than me. Are you planning to do a patient diary? I'd love to read it. I wish you the bestttt of luck with all that.

Well i'm almost the same age as you (soon 20) so obviously i don't have money for it right now. I have a plan how to save it but i don't know.... it's hard to say exactly when(and if i would be alive at this point).

But if i will still stick around here and finally do it then yes, i will make a diary.

[onemorefoot]

I really want to do the first surgery as soon as possible, I am interested in external tibias like you, femurs can wait until we have a good amount of money.

[sashawiak]

Well i'm almost the same age as you (soon 20) so obviously i don't have money for it right now. I have a plan how to save it but i don't know.... it's hard to say exactly when(and if i would be alive at this point).

But if i will still stick around here and finally do it then yes, i will make a diary.

Damn so now we're talking about being dead a few years. I'd be mad if I went through all this legthening and then died like 2 years after.

I wonder how legitimate the doctor in Vietnam is. 5500 for Lon, out of frames in 3 months for 7 cm, includes all the physical therapy and the private room is only 650 a month. Sounds like a damn miracle to me. Too good to be true?
I could literally be done before August 2017 at that rate, wouldn't even have to postpone college...

We're pretty much the same age yeah. Couldn't you just do 9 cm in your femur with internal though?

I really want to do the first surgery as soon as possible, I am interested in external tibias like you, femurs can wait until we have a good amount of money.

Me too. This would be so much easier if I were born into a rich family lmao

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

Damn so now we're talking about being dead a few years. I'd be mad if I went through all this legthening and then died like 2 years after.

I don't think you got it right but whatever, let's leave it.

About 9cm... well i don't know about you but i would like to enjoy my new height without constant pains and problems.

[sashawiak]

I know you meant dead before. I was just saying id be mad if I were dead shortly after too. Just that you never know if you're going to live to 20 or 100.

Well either way, good luck.

[LLCaptain]

I think many doctors will agree on the idea that women look better with lengthened femurs since they can achieve a more balanced look with heels after LL. If you do LL on tibias + heels, it'll look like you're on stilts.

Another thing to think about is how internals are actually cheaper than tibias due to opportunity cost. Let's say you put down 50k for internal femurs and return to work in 6 months vs doing external tibias for 20k. You might save some money in the short term, but you will likely be out for an entire year with external fixators. That's a difference of 6 months during the best years of your life.

[sashawiak]

I think many doctors will agree on the idea that women look better with lengthened femurs since they can achieve a more balanced look with heels after LL. If you do LL on tibias + heels, it'll look like you're on stilts.

Another thing to think about is how internals are actually cheaper than tibias due to opportunity cost. Let's say you put down 50k for internal femurs and return to work in 6 months vs doing external tibias for 20k. You might save some money in the short term, but you will likely be out for an entire year with external fixators. That's a difference of 6 months during the best years of your life.

What about LON? From what I'm seeing you can get out of the frames in 4-7 months depending on how much you leghthen.