Stats:
Asian-American Male
17 years old
5'5" (165cm)
I have suffered from height dysphoria since I was 5 years old. I was always the shortest in my class by a significant amount, and I was teased for it. My worst school experience related to my height happened when I was in first grade, when the class collected data by measuring everyone's heights. Not only was I the only first grader who wasn't at least 4', the teacher even made me be the example one which meant that I was measured twice. Although this was a long time ago, it didn't get much better. I received a lot of "Oh, am I still taller than you even when ____?" It was at its worst in 6th grade when I was nearly half a foot shorter than everyone else.
I grew slightly faster than average during puberty, which was a great confidence boost for me. One year I grew almost 5". However, I never got to a height I was comfortable with. I was still always more than 3" shorter than most people my age I would meet and it always bothered me.
When I was 13, I watched Gattaca for school. When I saw the part where Vincent lengthens his legs in order to impersonate a taller character, I wondered when or if the surgery would become a real thing.
At 16, my little brother started coming close to my height. He has never shown any discomfort with his height and once made fun of me for having height dysphoria. One time, my mom even told me that I was a bad brother for being self-conscious about it.
It was about this time I found out cosmetic leg lengthening was indeed a real thing. However, the first thing I saw was the external procedures (even though internal existed at the time), which sounded extreme to me.
A few months later, I came across Rozbruch's video:
I found many of Sam's struggles to be relatable. It was at this point I started seriously considering this procedure. Ever since, I have done lots of research and understand the procedure, as well as the risks and commitment.
This is the only cosmetic procedure that I want, have wanted, and will ever want.
I feel worse and worse about my height every day knowing that I'm a day closer to my growth plates closing. I don't get teased as much anymore, but I feel that what I went through has had a permanent impact on my body image.
I'm expected to reach close to my dad's height of 5'6", but I wouldn't be content with that.
It would have a huge impact on my body image and emotional well-being if I could become 5'8" or 5'9", which could be achieved for me by doing 8cm in the femurs. I would do this with the STRYDE and from a reputable doctor, after I move out and get a job.
I'm not a competitive athlete, but I lift weights and enjoy building muscle. I want to continue doing this after I recover, although I understand this may not happen for a year or two.
Do you think that I would be a good candidate? Any feedback would be appreciated.
Quote from: ghkid2019 on April 13, 2020, 06:39:38 PMYou are a picture perfect copy of me. Nothing wrong with wanting to do LL, it is one of the only cures for height neurosis. And you're most likely done growing, growth at age 17 get exponentially rarer.
Thanks! I thought I was gone growing at the time as well, until a week ago when I measured myself at 5'5" for the first time. I'd been telling myself 5'4" for the past 6 months before that.
Quote from: ghkid2019 on April 13, 2020, 06:45:24 PMUhh, hello, are you me? I was also convinced I was 5' 4.xx until I measured one last time recently lol. What the fk
Interesting. What are you planning on doing with CLL in the future?
Depending on my job CLL may be one of the first things I will start saving up for, as well as a car.
If I end up on the west coast, I might consider going to Debiparshad or Mahboubian, flying and staying for 2 weeks following the surgery, and driving to subsequent appointments to keep the cost and time away from work down. Paley, Rozbruch, and Donghoon Lee may be better but I want to avoid losing too much time. Paley requires you to be in his area for 3 months.
If I could pick any height I wanted I would pick 6', since any more than that could make me feel cramped and of course there are disadvantages. Therefore I considered Paley's 6" plan. Then I realized that I would reach a content height by just doing 8cm in the femurs in one surgery, and that likely I would be the one paying. So that's what I would likely do.
Quote from: ghkid2019 on April 13, 2020, 07:18:19 PMHonestly, rehab is the most important thing ever. You're not gonna feel it for 3 months to work no matter what, so it doesn't matter. There was a software engineer here who said he couldn't do any cognitive thinking at all until lengthening stopped and consolidation began.
Why try to save a few extra months and a few grand, instead of having a proper and disciplined recovery and better outcome? This is your legs at risk. Many people who go home and slack the fk off and eventually.. 2 years later still not recovered. It's worth the extra few months. Very.
During LL, your number one priority should be recovery, job and money and time are secondary
Interesting, I might want to become a software engineer. However, I don't know how hard it would be to get a 3 month break for a job like that.
Quote from: llj on April 13, 2020, 09:36:03 PMat your age i would try HGH first , you still squeeze out a inch or two, no?
I wish I could. Unfortunately I don't have much spending money and it's unlikely my parents would pay for it. Seems less painful than CLL.
Here's an update.
A few days ago, I talked to a friend over the phone. He's slightly taller than me, but still also relatively short. At one point I mentioned wanting CLL, and he mentioned a few things:
- He says that cosmetic surgery is a poor coping mechanism, and that there are better, healthier ways to handle my height dysphoria.
- He doesn't trust that I won't be seeking even more height after my initial hypothetical surgery. He mentioned that many people who get many cosmetic procedures start out thinking they will only get one. Come to think of it, that seems worse than not getting surgery at all.
- He told me that he has had anxiety about his looks before, but no matter how nice he tries to make himself look, he's never happy unless he accepts his body.
- By getting CLL, I'm losing to the people who teased me for being short.
- We're both Christian, so he mentioned that if I "fixed" my body with CLL, does that mean that God made a mistake? I also know a girl with Moebius syndrome from a Christian family (you can google it) who got a mostly cosmetic surgery in order for her to make facial expressions freely. Her community actually raised $41k for it.
At this point I'm unsure if I really can learn to accept my height, but I was happy to finally receive real help for the first time. This led me to reconsider my mentality when it comes to CLL.
Before then I thought I was certain I wanted it, but now I feel like I need to think long and hard before making a commitment.
I will also voluntarily undergo an evaluation with someone like Dr. Rozbruch's psychologist, even if my doctor doesn't require it. I want to make sure that if I do undergo CLL I will be satisfied with my final height.
What else do you think I should do? Also, how often do people seek more height post-CLL?
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Quote from: bobdlln254 on June 22, 2020, 01:11:46 AMI also am 5'5, want to get this surgery but I get scared sometimes, everyone always tells me I don't need it but I don't think they would really know unless they were in my shoes.
I understand that. Responses from people I have mentioned CLL to include:
My mom (5'4): "Boys grow into their 20s, you're probably going to reach 5'8 by then. Also, it's not a very good idea to have a surgery unless you have to."
My dad (5'6): "I'm sorry I passed this gene onto you, but what I think about this surgery is that it seems a bit dangerous just to make you a few inches taller. It would make me sad if you lost a limb and were disabled for the rest of your life over something you didn't have to do."
Female friend from a retreat (5'2): "You're not superrr short, I have friends who are 4'11 (some of who are male). I didn't notice it when I was with you at camp.
Male friend who I met online 5 years ago and then in person about 4 years ago (Haven't met in about 2 years, but he's probably about 5'5-5'7): "I have anxiety about my looks, but no matter how much I make myself look nice, I’m never happy unless I start by accepting my body. And if it helps, I think you look good as yourself. Getting that surgery would be like suk up to everyone who teased you for being short."
Ex-friend(male) from elementary school who previously teased me for my height, who I met on Linkedin a few months ago (Haven't seen him in 7 years but he's probably 5'8-5'11): "I know this is hypocritical coming from me, but I think you should love the way you are."
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