Influencer Spends $175,000 On “Most Painful” Leg-Lengthening Surgery To Grow Six Inches
What if you could pay to become taller?
Instagram influencer Yeferson Cossio spent thousands of dollars on a lower limb lengthening surgery to stretch his legs to add an additional six inches to his height in order to become six feet tall.
The 29-year-old has reportedly spent $175,000 to leave his original five-foot-eight height behind, describing the procedure as the “most painful surgery ever”.
Taking to his Instagram page followed by 11 million people, Yeferson shared a video explaining: “I’m not a dwarf, nor am I the tallest.
Yeferson Cossio spent $175,000 on a lower limb lengthening surgery to stretch his legs to add an additional six inches to his height
Image credits: yefersoncossio
Image credits: yefersoncossio
“Yes, my legs are pretty but I hate them … I am self-conscious like almost all human beings with some parts of my body and I have a couple hundred million pesos to use here to change it.”
The Colombian man further admitted that the surgery was purely for “aesthetic” purposes, as he recalled: “Two years ago, I had an issue with my legs that I don’t really want to talk about because it’s very personal … But one of the things that had the most impact on me was to do with leg stretching.”
Yeferson left his original five-foot-eight height behind, describing the procedure as the “most painful surgery ever”
Image credits: yefersoncossio
Image credits: yefersoncossio
In future stages, Yeferson will have to go through physical therapy treatments so he can become accustomed to walking with his new legs.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, limb lengthening surgery is a procedure that gradually makes an arm or leg bone longer. This procedure treats skeletal dysplasia, bone growth issues, and bone length differences.
The surgery itself consists of two main steps: An osteotomy, which means cutting the affected bone into two segments and attaching a limb lengthening device to the two segments of bone.
“Yes, my legs are pretty but I hate them … I am self-conscious,” Yeferson said
Image credits: yefersoncossio
Image credits: yefersoncossio
The limb lengthening device can be an external fixator: the surgeon attaches a thin, light metal frame to the bones with pins or wires. The frame and most of the device are outside the body.
These devices usually stick out several inches from your body, making it hard to wear certain clothes.
Many people choose to wear clothing that’s loose or that doesn’t cover the device, such as shorts or short-sleeved shirts.
Or an internal rod: this newer option is a screw-like device that your surgeon places inside the bone. This device isn’t visible outside the body.
The Colombian man further admitted that the surgery was purely for “aesthetic” purposes
Image credits: yefersoncossio
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As specialists typically separate the bones by a total of one millimeter per day, this means Yeferson painfully lengthened his legs for 152 days, or 6 months, before achieving his new 6-foot frame.
In April, a report published by NBC News shed light on leg-lengthening surgery and its growing popularity among men seeking to be taller.
“I even have 60-, 65-year-old guys that have come to me to undergo the procedure because it just doesn’t stop. The ‘short’ jokes keep going on and they feel inferior,” Dr. Shahab Mahboubian, a surgeon at the Height Lengthening Institute in Burbank, California, told the broadcaster.
In future stages, Yeferson will have to go through physical therapy treatments
Image credits: yefersoncossio
Image credits: yefersoncossio
A 26-year-old man called Alex who considered himself short opened up about his own experience getting the surgery as a result of being bullied for his height.
Shorter men “routinely get spoken down to just because of this trait that they can’t control,” Alex said. Subsequently, last year, he got a leg-lengthening operation to increase his height to 5’10″.
Alex recalled: “My goal was never to be tall. It’s to be in a place where no one comments on my height.”
Specialists typically separate the bones by a total of one millimeter per day, which means Yeferson had to painfully lengthen his legs for 152 days
View this post on Instagram
Image credits: yefersoncossio
A study published last year examined the relationship between height and dating preferences among heterosexual people in the U.S., Canada, Cuba, and Norway. The results suggested that men preferred shorter women and women preferred taller men relative to both their own heights and the averages in their countries.
Although leg-lengthening surgery comes with risks, including nerve injury and a loss of range of motion, Alex has been satisfied with his experience, as he revealed: “The recovery is behind me and I feel incredible.”
People online had mixed feelings about the surgery
YES! I was looking for the South Park comment, awesome!
Load More Replies...
It's sick to realise that there are surgeons, presumably full qualified and experienced, who are prepared to do this sort of thing. I thought the basis of the so-called Hippocratic oath, an unwritten code of ethics for doctors, was "do no harm" and I find it really difficult to believe that's the case here.
Why is the procedure worse than other cosmetic surgeries, like face lifts or boob jobs? I'm not a fan of cosmetic surgery myself but I have a problem with all the procedures not just one of them.
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I can only think about the pain he will feel late in life when he gets old.
This guy has influenced me to continue loving being 5'6". I'm not a biologist or anything, but having to stretch not only his bones, but his muscles, ligaments, other connective tissue, skin etc, that just HAS to have terrible long term effects on his future ability to walk, right? Oh well, as long as he's happy NOW, I guess.
No problem with that. Tom Cruise is only 5'7 and he's never had a problem getting a woman.
Load More Replies...
I was going to have it done way back in 2013ish but decided against it after years of saving and thinking it over, I’m four foot 10, and I was aiming for an extra 6 inches also. Now I don’t care
I normally feel bad for people who get significant plastic surgery - they are obvisouly suffering a great deal from BDD. However, I have heard of this guy before and he once got breast implants just as a joke. He had them removed not long after. I think he's just an idiot who does the most extreme types of body modification for attention.
Yeah, 5'8" is NOT SHORT. Also, the difference between 5'8" and 6 feet is only 4 inches, not 6. In any case, IMHO he's already screwed, given all the ugly tattoos he has (I'm not opposed to tattoos generally - I have three myself - but he looks like a mess).
He does look odd now with his TRex arms, or will he also lengthen them for say $160K (rebate for returning customers)?
That idiot is going to have problems with his legs for the rest of his life now.
As far as I know, this is very painful procedure and takes a lot of time. In this case surgery wasn't necessary. Does this guy have a job? I'm assuming it would be difficult to explain his boss that he will be absent for months, because he wants to be taller.
Can you imagine how much difference could couple of thousand make to soooo many people? Yet you see these rich kids trying to find ways to throw money away.
Influencers. I have a hard time articulating the depth of their collective uselessness.
maybe all what he needed was a Swedish enlarger to gain 6 inches somewhere else... Yeah!! Baby!!!
It's just sad how insecure he is. He's already pretty and I just feel bad that he still wants to make more changes. It looks like he already has veneers too. The (aesthetic) plastic surgery industry is so predatory.
It's stupid and I don't know why anyone would want to put themselves through that kind of pain. But I suppose it's his body and his money to waste, so whatever.
I totally laughed at "He's going to go play basketball and his legs will explode when he jumps. lololol
There are so many folks who cannot afford simple dental care that would improve their ability to eat their meals or smile without concern was my first thought reading this interesting article. More power to this young man for he having the ability to improve what he believed was a disadvantage in his life. With hope, he will not have any issues from this or any future procedures during his long stay on this earth. But as a elderly patient once told me, "None of us really have no excuse in not standing tall in our lives regardless of our physical appearance."
There was a woman in the UK that wanted to be a flight attendant but was too short, so she did this. When the new broke, an airline reached out and said that when the procedure was complete and successful, they'd give her a job. I wish I knew what happened after that.
Alert: boomer comment! Another example of what our society has turned into. How you look seems to be the most important thing in life. So instead of investing in education, family or helping other ppl, this is what you spend your money on. I fear for what will happen to these ppl once they invitably get older and/ or lose popularity. As for the height issue: I'm 181 cm and have dated shorter guys for most of my life, because who cares. If someone only wants to be with you because of height (or hair colour or tit size or whatever), that says a lot about the shallowness of that person.
The tattoos will be totally stretched too. He will have stretch marks, like some women after childbirth
How awful to be so insecure that you're willing to undergo that level of agony for such a long time.
then there is me at 7'4 who needs a wheelchair if I have to walk for more than 5 mins cause my bones are too long and weak to hold my body upright, I only weight 9 pounds too, and have to weigh under 100, or my bones will literally break themself, my husband is only 4'11, and he can fully carry me cause I have to be so light
I was born in a third world country where nobody at the time had enough to eat. malnourishment affected all the men in my biological family [& ofc the women]. I had ginger tea in my bottle when the goat couldn’t give enough milk. I’m 5’ 2” & was adopted out; most of the men in my family range in the upper 4’-5’ 1” range. I am telling you this is purely vanity & individuals with character absolutely don’t care about height.
But at the same time, society is mega critical of tall women. My wife is over 6ft tall, and the amount of times she's been told she "must be trans because a women can't/shouldnt be that tall" for example, often by men that are shorter than her. The world seems to be full of double standards, huh?
I get it if you’re super short but 5’8 is hardly super short. It’s a good height and going through that much pain to impress other people is hardly worth it. Like what will other people say? “Wow you’re tall now”? “That’s cool”. “Since you are taller now here is a bag full of money” seriously who cares!? Shallow people. Hate that the world is becoming more shallow and greedy by the day.
U do u if u would rather be taller it doesn't hurt anyone. Stop being so judgemental bp
I just feel heartbroken for him. That's some really serious insecurity, especially considering that he felt the need for this despite the fact that he thought his legs were pretty.
Broken bones always come back to haunt you in your 'old age', he's going to start having serious issues once he's in his 40's.
Anyone seen the movie GATACA??? This is reminding me of that so much!
I think this is crazy but like others have said it's no difference to any other body modification when you think about it. It is sad though that someone feels they can only be confident by looking a certain way. I've had friends have boob jobs after they had kids and they have all mostly said it was well worth it to make them feel like their old selves again so I guess there is a difference in the type of body modification is it restorative or creating a new you so to speak. From a psychological perspective I think the latter may the least effective.
YES! I was looking for the South Park comment, awesome!
Load More Replies... It's sick to realise that there are surgeons, presumably full qualified and experienced, who are prepared to do this sort of thing. I thought the basis of the so-called Hippocratic oath, an unwritten code of ethics for doctors, was "do no harm" and I find it really difficult to believe that's the case here.
Why is the procedure worse than other cosmetic surgeries, like face lifts or boob jobs? I'm not a fan of cosmetic surgery myself but I have a problem with all the procedures not just one of them.
Load More Replies... I can only think about the pain he will feel late in life when he gets old.
This guy has influenced me to continue loving being 5'6". I'm not a biologist or anything, but having to stretch not only his bones, but his muscles, ligaments, other connective tissue, skin etc, that just HAS to have terrible long term effects on his future ability to walk, right? Oh well, as long as he's happy NOW, I guess.
No problem with that. Tom Cruise is only 5'7 and he's never had a problem getting a woman.
Load More Replies... I was going to have it done way back in 2013ish but decided against it after years of saving and thinking it over, I’m four foot 10, and I was aiming for an extra 6 inches also. Now I don’t care
I normally feel bad for people who get significant plastic surgery - they are obvisouly suffering a great deal from BDD. However, I have heard of this guy before and he once got breast implants just as a joke. He had them removed not long after. I think he's just an idiot who does the most extreme types of body modification for attention.
Yeah, 5'8" is NOT SHORT. Also, the difference between 5'8" and 6 feet is only 4 inches, not 6. In any case, IMHO he's already screwed, given all the ugly tattoos he has (I'm not opposed to tattoos generally - I have three myself - but he looks like a mess).
He does look odd now with his TRex arms, or will he also lengthen them for say $160K (rebate for returning customers)?
That idiot is going to have problems with his legs for the rest of his life now.
As far as I know, this is very painful procedure and takes a lot of time. In this case surgery wasn't necessary. Does this guy have a job? I'm assuming it would be difficult to explain his boss that he will be absent for months, because he wants to be taller.
Can you imagine how much difference could couple of thousand make to soooo many people? Yet you see these rich kids trying to find ways to throw money away.
Influencers. I have a hard time articulating the depth of their collective uselessness.
maybe all what he needed was a Swedish enlarger to gain 6 inches somewhere else... Yeah!! Baby!!!
It's just sad how insecure he is. He's already pretty and I just feel bad that he still wants to make more changes. It looks like he already has veneers too. The (aesthetic) plastic surgery industry is so predatory.
It's stupid and I don't know why anyone would want to put themselves through that kind of pain. But I suppose it's his body and his money to waste, so whatever.
I totally laughed at "He's going to go play basketball and his legs will explode when he jumps. lololol
There are so many folks who cannot afford simple dental care that would improve their ability to eat their meals or smile without concern was my first thought reading this interesting article. More power to this young man for he having the ability to improve what he believed was a disadvantage in his life. With hope, he will not have any issues from this or any future procedures during his long stay on this earth. But as a elderly patient once told me, "None of us really have no excuse in not standing tall in our lives regardless of our physical appearance."
There was a woman in the UK that wanted to be a flight attendant but was too short, so she did this. When the new broke, an airline reached out and said that when the procedure was complete and successful, they'd give her a job. I wish I knew what happened after that.
Alert: boomer comment! Another example of what our society has turned into. How you look seems to be the most important thing in life. So instead of investing in education, family or helping other ppl, this is what you spend your money on. I fear for what will happen to these ppl once they invitably get older and/ or lose popularity. As for the height issue: I'm 181 cm and have dated shorter guys for most of my life, because who cares. If someone only wants to be with you because of height (or hair colour or tit size or whatever), that says a lot about the shallowness of that person.
The tattoos will be totally stretched too. He will have stretch marks, like some women after childbirth
How awful to be so insecure that you're willing to undergo that level of agony for such a long time.
then there is me at 7'4 who needs a wheelchair if I have to walk for more than 5 mins cause my bones are too long and weak to hold my body upright, I only weight 9 pounds too, and have to weigh under 100, or my bones will literally break themself, my husband is only 4'11, and he can fully carry me cause I have to be so light
I was born in a third world country where nobody at the time had enough to eat. malnourishment affected all the men in my biological family [& ofc the women]. I had ginger tea in my bottle when the goat couldn’t give enough milk. I’m 5’ 2” & was adopted out; most of the men in my family range in the upper 4’-5’ 1” range. I am telling you this is purely vanity & individuals with character absolutely don’t care about height.
But at the same time, society is mega critical of tall women. My wife is over 6ft tall, and the amount of times she's been told she "must be trans because a women can't/shouldnt be that tall" for example, often by men that are shorter than her. The world seems to be full of double standards, huh?
I get it if you’re super short but 5’8 is hardly super short. It’s a good height and going through that much pain to impress other people is hardly worth it. Like what will other people say? “Wow you’re tall now”? “That’s cool”. “Since you are taller now here is a bag full of money” seriously who cares!? Shallow people. Hate that the world is becoming more shallow and greedy by the day.
U do u if u would rather be taller it doesn't hurt anyone. Stop being so judgemental bp
I just feel heartbroken for him. That's some really serious insecurity, especially considering that he felt the need for this despite the fact that he thought his legs were pretty.
Broken bones always come back to haunt you in your 'old age', he's going to start having serious issues once he's in his 40's.
Anyone seen the movie GATACA??? This is reminding me of that so much!
I think this is crazy but like others have said it's no difference to any other body modification when you think about it. It is sad though that someone feels they can only be confident by looking a certain way. I've had friends have boob jobs after they had kids and they have all mostly said it was well worth it to make them feel like their old selves again so I guess there is a difference in the type of body modification is it restorative or creating a new you so to speak. From a psychological perspective I think the latter may the least effective.
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