Leg-lengthening surgeon: Big tech engineers pay $70k to get 3 inches taller

• A Las Vegas cosmetic surgeon observed a recent uptick in tech workers who come for a leg-lengthening procedure.
• The procedure costs between $70,000 and $150,000, depending on whether the patient wants to add 3, 4, 5, or 6 inches to their height.
• The surgeon said that he had several clients who work at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.

Software engineers from big tech companies have been flocking to a clinic that offers leg-lengthening procedures to get taller by 3 to 6 inches, a Las Vegas cosmetic surgeon told GQ.

Kevin Debiparshad, founder of LimbplastX Institute, said his business boomed during the pandemic, with many of his patients coming from the tech industry.

The leg-lengthening procedure starts by breaking the patient’s femurs (thigh bones). Metal nails are then inserted into them so they can be adjusted. A magnetic remote control then extends the nails a tiny bit every day for three months.

Here’s what one approach looks like:

The whole procedure, including the lengthening and recovery, can take months.

According to one software engineer, he spent the first three months post-surgery alone in his apartment and had to order delivery food. His height increased from 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-9.

The GQ report noted that the procedure can cost between $70,000 and $150,000, depending on how many inches the patient wants to add. The choices are from three to six inches.

Naturally, Debiparshad’s clients are wealthy. While they vary in profession, ranging from actors and finance workers to CEOs, he’s recently seen a slew of high-earning tech workers. There were some women but most were men.

Debiparshad told GQ that he often jokes about opening a tech company with the number of software engineers he gets as patients.

“I got, like, 20 software engineers doing this procedure right now who are here in Vegas. There was a girl yesterday from PayPal,” he said. “I’ve got patients from Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft. I’ve had multiple patients from Microsoft.”

The leg-lengthening procedure is not recommended for athletes, Debiparshad said, because their ability could be affected.

Men have increasingly opted for cosmetic procedures through the years, with plastic surgeries going up by 325% from 1997 to 2015, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery noted.

In particular, male tech workers in Silicon Valley have considered plastic surgery to reach their physical goals. According to a Washington Post report in January 2020, men turned to laser treatments, Botox, fillers, and collagen treatments to get ahead in their careers.

Still, many patients prefer not to tell people that they had the procedure done.

Source: Yahoo! News