This Surgery WILL RUIN Tall Girls | WTH is Height Reduction Surgery???

[00:00:00] Alright, today is going to be a relatively interesting topic because we are talking about height surgeries, mainly height reduction surgery, which is low-key a common term in the tall girl community, or so I thought. Quite a few of us have had those days as young tall girls and even tall teens where we sat in front of our computer to look up how much height reduction surgery costs, whether it was safe, and how long the recovery process was. Bonus points if you're researching it currently and this episode pops up.

[00:00:30] Now, a surgery that can, according to Google, remove a portion of the femur or a portion of the shin bone seemed appealing at one point for one simple reason. We just hated our height that much. So today we're going to dive deeper into why many tall women have considered this surgery and honestly what it entails so we can all make informed decisions. So let's get into it.

[00:00:55] Good morning, everybody. You are currently listening to A Tall Girls Podcast, hosted by A Tall Girl Named India. I hope everyone who's tuning in today is doing super fantastic. Before I get into this episode, I do want to say, make sure you're following me on my socials at A Tall Girls Podcast on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest so that you can stay up to date on all of the latest podcast episodes and catch a glimpse of my everyday life. Also, feel free to leave me a review and let me know how tall you are. I'm genuinely curious.

[00:01:21] I also have a monthly newsletter. Make sure you subscribe to that. Everything is going to be linked in the description. Yeah, also still don't know about the TikTok situation. It may be banned next week. Well, by the time this episode is up in literally like two or three days.

[00:01:36] So we'll see about the whole TikTok situation. But if you found me from TikTok, if you're here from TikTok, hi, make sure you subscribe here to whatever you're listening on, whether it's YouTube or whatever podcast platform you listen to this on. And also follow me on Instagram and Pinterest and all the other places because I don't know. This TikTok situation is a disaster, but we're not here to talk about that today.

[00:02:01] Anyways, this may be a very triggering episode for some. This may be a very triggering topic for some. So please just beware. Okay, this is not medical advice by any means. I am not a doctor. I'm not telling you what you should and shouldn't do. I'm just simply just talking about this topic that many tall women have, I'm pretty sure, considered over their lives or not even just tall women, tall people in general.

[00:02:27] So just a disclaimer, not a doctor, no medical advice, just simply talking about the subject. Okay, I also want to say pretty early on in this episode that I am not shaming anyone who got a surgery to change their height. This is by no means shaming anyone who got a surgery to change their height, whether it was to become shorter or to become taller, whether it was for medical purposes or just because you wanted to change your height.

[00:02:55] I'm not shaming anyone. I am just talking about this subject and simply providing my own personal opinions. All right, let's get into it. But this is something or a thought rather that is really influenced by our self-esteem and our confidence surrounding our height. And that is height reduction surgery.

[00:03:18] I'm sure that any tall girl listening to this right now has considered this at least once in their lifetime, potentially, but never actually went through with it. Or did we? Yeah, you. I'm talking to you. Did you get high reduction surgery? We could keep it a secret between us. All right, let me stop. But for some of us who have for real, for real actually gotten this or who have for real, for real actually considered this, check this clip out. Hello, we are Vona Bitolar, the first and most experienced clinic in Istanbul, Turkey.

[00:03:47] Today I'm going to give you a brief information about height reduction. We have performed six height reduction surgeries so far at our hospital. The maximum amount that can be reduced is 5.5 centimeters. And here you can see all the bones that are reducted and removed from the bone.

[00:04:13] So the surgery works by reducing the height by cutting surgically the bone and removing a part of it. After the surgery, you need to wait for a few months so that the bones can fully recover from the surgery. So for the first four and six weeks, you need to use a walker or a wheelchair to not put too much weight on your legs.

[00:04:38] And after that, you can gradually move to crutches and then you can go back to normal. Now for those who are actively considering it right now, I just want to make sure we're all on the same page on what this procedure entails so that when we make a decision, we make an informed one because we like making informed decisions, right? All right, so what is height reduction surgery? I've stated this a little bit earlier, but this is a procedure that aims to reduce overall height by removing a portion of a bone

[00:05:07] or intentionally damaging growth plates to stop further growth. And yes, this is a real thing. Just take a listen to this clip from another tall girlie. I would look up on Google, right? Height reduction surgery? Yes, height reduction surgery. But they literally like cut your legs open and shorten your legs. Like it's an actual thing. Now I'm not too familiar with the damaging of growth plates part. Low key, that sounds a little bit dangerous and kind of scary.

[00:05:32] But apparently that type of thing is done typically, usually, yes. Typically, usually done when one limb is longer than the other. So let's say you have a one leg is slightly longer than the other and you know, everything is just uneven. Even, I guess they would just literally go in and just like screw up one of your legs, the longer legs, so that it just stops growing and then everything kind of evens out. That's what it seems like to me.

[00:05:59] But I think it's a little bit more typical or usual when they just go in and just intentionally remove a part of a bone. And then I guess connect it in some type of way. But either way, this surgery is actually very rare in comparison to other high surgeries, which we'll get into a little later in this episode. Now, I don't know for sure the maximum amount taken out. But in the video before, it said like a maximum of 5.5 centimeters.

[00:06:25] But I've seen like a maximum of 3 inches from the femur and 2 inches from the shin bone. Either way, it's just best to consult with a professional because I honestly just don't know for sure. There are different sources saying different things. But this procedure is something that a lot of tall people have considered. Now, is this safe? Listen, okay. With any type of surgery, no matter what it is, there's always going to be some type of risk.

[00:06:55] Like even something as standard as a wisdom teeth removal. Okay, when I got like part of my, part of my, what? When I got my right side wisdom teeth taken out, like homegirl was listing off all the risks. Like from anywhere from, yeah, like pain all the way to, yeah, I may lose like the taste in my mouth. Like I'm not gonna be able to taste any more food. Like that's just how it is. There's a risk with any type of procedure you go into. And honestly, this is no different.

[00:07:22] Just a general rule of thumb, just in my book at least for me personally. Like not everybody has to have this viewpoint. It's more so a thing of you honestly, I personally believe that you shouldn't be getting anything done or doing anything that extreme of like a surgery. Unless it's beneficial for your health. And that could be physical, mental, and emotional. But the last two is like a little bit tricky because you could just say, yeah, like I'm doing it for like my mental and emotional health and da da da da da. But I don't know.

[00:07:52] Certain things I feel like have more priority. I don't want to say importance, but I just feel like certain things make sense while others don't. That's, I'm just going to leave it at that. So some of the risks with this height reduction surgery include bone healing issues, nerve damage, mobility concerns, bone infections, and chronic pain.

[00:08:14] And this is something that is generally used to kind of correct limb length, making sure that the limbs are the same length. Rather than just saying, yeah, like I want to be shorter and so forth. But I mean, I don't know. The very few people that actually did get it may be their part of their reasoning was because they wanted to be shorter. Who knows? But this is a pretty expensive procedure. It could cost anything from like tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars to get this procedure done. And that's from a qualified professional.

[00:08:44] Okay, don't go somewhere in like, I don't know, in the depths of Antarctica and get this surgery for like a thousand, two thousand dollars. Like, please, like if you get this done, you need to see someone who is qualified and has the degrees to be performing this type of thing. Okay, don't go anywhere sketchy because you thought that you were going to go and get like a little bit, like just a couple centimeters shaved off. Next thing you know, you wake up and you have no legs. You never know.

[00:09:11] All right, so now that we know the details of what this surgery is and what it entails and even some of the risks and even the potential costs. Why have many tall people consider this procedure? And not even as a joke, like for real, for real, considering this. I'm just going to get straight to the point. Those tall people have seriously hated their height, like a deep, deep, deep rooted hatred. Like I just physically cannot be tall anymore. Like that type of hate. And I'm not going to lie. I get it.

[00:09:40] The stares, feeling like you're out of place, being hyper aware of your height, the bullying. Oh my gosh, the bullying. Growing up tall, I've been called every name under the sun, moon, and stars. Okay. I got doof, goof for goofy, slender man. And the worst part is some of it came from people who I was close to and who I thought I could trust. Then down the line, those same people would be like, oh, like why do you hate your height so much? Well, I don't know. Maybe because you made it living hell to exist as a tall person?

[00:10:09] Like, but it's like even at a young, at such a young age and your preteens and teenage years, especially, your mind is developing and your body is constantly changing. And that includes not just your height, but also your hormones. And we all know how hormones can like affect with our thought process and so forth. So if we're hearing these things over and over and over, whether it's from the same people, different people, random strangers, or both, it's going to get to you. It's going to get to your head. It's going to affect you.

[00:10:39] And just be like, wow, like if other people are saying that my height is really that bad or it makes me look this way or makes me look awkward and so forth. Is that really the case? Like that has to be true. And then it's like, as you get older, you can go probably one of two ways. Honestly, you can learn to love and embrace your height and not care what people think or the thought process just gets worse. And with the latter part, that's when you actually sit down and it's like, okay, like maybe I should consider becoming shorter.

[00:11:08] Maybe I should try to find a way to get shorter surgically. And then that's when you start researching height reduction surgery. Yeah, it's that bad. And, you know, even when it gets better, because I mean, I'm a firm believer that yes, it does get better. Those thoughts and comments and actions from other people, just those experiences, they stick with you forever. And it sucks. I can't even say it sucks, but like it just straight up sucks.

[00:11:32] It seems like people consider it because they hate their height, but I feel like people more so actually get it for medical purposes or medical reasons. Like they have to, like they have to even out their limbs and so forth. And since we're on the topic of self-esteem and how we feel about our height, we all know that as tall women, clothes play a big role in that. So I would like to talk about today's sponsor, Sumisura. Finding clothes that actually fit our length and proportions is one of the biggest struggles tall women face.

[00:12:01] Because let's be real, big brands just don't get it. They either completely ignore us or think that adding a couple inches makes something tall. Yeah, not quite. That's where Sumisura comes in. They're a custom clothing brand that uses a made-to-measure system to create garments tailored to your body. All you have to do is enter your height, weight, and body type. And using over 13 years of algorithm training, they predict your measurements, including leg length, waist, and more. So that you never have to second guess the fit.

[00:12:30] Check out sumisura.com. That is sumisura.com to just the real you. All of their information is going to be linked in the description. And thank you again to Sumisura for sponsoring today's episode. But now you have the flip side where it's honestly more common for people to get height lengthening surgeries apparently. Where basically it's a procedure to make people taller by breaking a bone and then gradually extending it with a rod.

[00:12:57] Oh, even saying it like, oh, it sounds so weird. It sounds so painful. Anyways, just take a listen to this really quickly. What would you do to gain seven inches of height? Well, this young man underwent limb lengthening surgery where the bones of his lower leg are broken. And then they are separated using an external fixator. That fixator, you have a screw that you turn a millimeter a day and it separates that bone by a millimeter a day. And the idea is that new bone will grow in that millimeter gap.

[00:13:28] Now, as you can see, he has to do a lot of physical therapy to heal from this. There are major risks of complications such as osteomyelitis, which is an infection of the bone. And this is not something I recommend. Would you do this to gain seven inches of height? But in all honesty, it seems like it's pretty common for men to get this surgery because there's kind of that pressure to be taller as a man or saying that it's better for a guy to be taller or more attractive for a guy to be taller.

[00:13:57] Whereas there's this idea that women should be shorter. So I feel like tall women would be more likely to consider the height reduction surgery. Whereas men would be more likely to consider the height lengthening surgery. But there are some women who have actively considered or even gotten leg lengthening surgery to increase their height, whether for modeling purposes or just because they don't want to be short anymore. So they want to be taller.

[00:14:23] So my conclusion is that people always want what they don't have. The short people want to be taller. The tall people want to be shorter. So much so that they actually consider surgery to fix their height. But the real issue isn't height. It's a deep-rooted insecurity. And I believe that no surgery or cosmetic procedure can truly fix that. But this is a podcast for tall girls, tall women, tall people. So let's just keep it in the realm of the tall folks, okay?

[00:14:52] Tall girls, you do not have to shrink yourself to fit in, to be accepted, or to make other people feel comfortable. You are not goofy. You are not awkward. Okay, maybe you're a little awkward. But that's okay. We've all been there. Both literally and figuratively, you'll grow into your height. See what I did there? I low-key don't know if that pun was good, but I'm sure you get the gist. There is a whole tall girl community out there who has been through the same experiences you've been through.

[00:15:22] And who understand us and ready to uplift each other. So you know what? We're going to do something right now. We're going to help the tall girls who are insecure about their height right now. Drop a comment saying one thing that you absolutely love about being tall. It could be anything from always having a strong presence when you enter the room. To always being able to reach something on the top shelf. That way, when the tall girls scroll through, they can see all of the wonderful things about being a tall woman. Okay, being a tall woman is such a beautiful thing.

[00:15:50] Having height in general, just being tall is such a beautiful and amazing thing. And can honestly open so many doors for you. Start so many conversations. Provide so many opportunities. Literally, me being tall provided me the opportunity to have this podcast. And meet so many other tall women online and offline. I literally went to a tall girl brunch the other day because of this podcast. Can you believe that? Because I'm a tall girl. Because I started a tall girl's podcast.

[00:16:20] I had brunch with the tall girlies. Never in my life would I have thought that I would have been at this point. But hey, being tall provided me that opportunity. And who knows what it could provide for you. And who knows what it could do for you. And honestly, there's nothing wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with your height. You are beautiful. You are amazing just the way you are. So, in my opinion, I don't think we should be risking, you know, bone infections and so forth.

[00:16:48] For a high surgery to be shorter. But, honestly, to each their own. I mean, that would also be the same thing to say that I'm against, like, plastic surgery. And, I don't know, like, Botox and lip filler and all that stuff. It's like, honestly, I get why people want to do those things to feel more confident. And just to love the way that they look in the mirror and stuff like that. But I think that it's also very important to understand the risks.

[00:17:14] And there are times where the risks outweigh the rewards. I think I said that properly. Yeah. But to each their own. As I said earlier in this episode, I am not a doctor. I'm not providing medical advice or anything. I'm not telling you what to do. Just do what makes you happy. But I just want you to know that your height is amazing. And you are beautiful as a tall woman. Period. Okay. I'm going to end the episode here. Thank you so much for tuning in. I really appreciate it. And I appreciate you.

[00:17:44] As always, feel free to hit me up on my socials at a tall girl's podcast. And let me know what you thought about this episode. Have you considered height reduction surgery? Do you know what height reduction surgery is? Apparently, some of us in the tall girls, how people community don't even know what height reduction surgery is, which is kind of crazy. But also not really. I did run a poll over on Instagram. And I'm just going to do a quick plug. Make sure you follow me at a tall girl's podcast on Instagram. So you can participate in these polls and have your opinions heard on these episodes. But I did ask you guys over on a poll.

[00:18:13] What are your thoughts on tall people getting height reduction surgery? 3% said it's understandable with all of these societal pressures. 18% said it's extreme, but people do what makes them happy. They should do what makes them happy. Jeez, I can't read. It's extreme, but people should do what makes them happy. 18% said it's unnecessary and dangerous. And 61% said that's a thing.

[00:18:41] Wait, so we didn't know about height reduction surgery? Oh my god, that's crazy. I mean, it is pretty rare. So I mean, I guess I could understand that. But maybe it's also a thing of, I just don't, I mean, literally, it's not something that's advertised. So it's not like people, a lot of people are going to outright know about it. But within the tall community, it just seems like a lot of us haven't even researched it. Which is very interesting.

[00:19:08] But I did get a DM last night, earlier this morning, along that sort, that said that that person has actively like actually considered height reduction surgery. So that shows that some of us do know about it. Some of us do actually have, what? Some of us have actually researched it. Yes. But the majority of us is like, what? High reduction surgery? Very interesting. Very interesting. That shows that maybe, that shows that yeah, you've had struggles with your height, but

[00:19:37] you just never actively considered becoming shorter. But then again, a lot of people don't even think that this is a real thing and didn't even know that this was a real thing anyways. They didn't know that something like this existed. So yeah. But yeah, let me know your thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, complaints, all that good stuff. I'm down for a good conversation. I really love talking to you guys. I'm trying my best to get back to each and every one of you in a timely manner. But yeah, life be lifing. Well, not. Okay. That sounds really bad.

[00:20:06] Life is not, it's not bad. It's just that I get busy. That's all. That's all. And I do have my notifications off for my mental health. So yeah. Anyways, I've done enough rambling. So I'm going to let you go and until I hear from you guys, I'll catch you in the next one. Good night and goodbye.