Boom in the US by surgical interventions to increase stature by means of a real lengthening of the legs. Men in particular make use of it and the costs are stratospheric.
An operation heavy and costly to be taller; despite the significant “cons,” these kinds of surgeries are all the rage in the United States. Procedures once reserved for people with disabilities are now ‘trendy’ despite a cost ranging between 80,000 and 100,000 euros. The legs are stretched between 2.5 and 7 cm on average. A more imposing stature would also affect the self-confidenceit would be good for love and even for financial level. Studies confirm that women prefer tall men. And, according to recent research, males taller than 182 centimeters earn much more than those who are shorter.
Not only young adults and men in midlife crises resort to interventions: “I often have men 60-65 years old who come to me to undergo these surgeries,” he observes shahab Mahboubian, surgeon at the Height and Leg Extension Institute in Burbank, California. According to the surgeon, the demand for these operations has increased sharply in the last 5 years despite the fact that there is no health coverage and the cost is all on the shoulders of the patients: “This year I have 50 or more interventions of this type on the calendar, two years ago there were 20. Patients continue to increase“.
And there is not only the economic deterrent: the operation it’s painful. The bones of the femur or tibia are sawn to insert mini extendable metal rods, which are lengthened by about 1 millimeter a week via external remote controls controlled by the surgeons. In this way, patients are supported by almost daily physiotherapy exercises. After a few months the metal mini-prostheses are removed.
The “click” of growth
But what does the (natural, of course) increase in height depend on? It has recently been discovered in the brainpuberty switch that captures the nutritional status of the child and decides when to trigger the process that leads to puberty and also decides the increase in height. The receiver is called MC3R and is found in a region of the brain, the hypothalamus, which is important for appetite regulation. MC3R recognizes when the child’s nutritional status is good and gives the “go” to the body which, therefore, develops towards puberty. The scientists also noted that – in individuals who have faulty versions of the gene – puberty begins later and growth in height is reduced. The study on the subject, conducted between the University of Cambridge, Queen Mary University of London, the University of Bristol, the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University, was published in the journal Nature. Scientists also speculate that drugs targeting MC3Rs could help fight growth retardation in children.