Height Reduction Surgery Abroad: From Your First Message to Returning Home
You may have been thinking about your height for years.
Perhaps you have researched height reduction surgery more than once, closed the page, and then returned to it weeks later. You watched patient experiences, read about the surgery, and tried to imagine what your life would be like if you actually decided to take this step.
But at some point, the question changes from:
“Is there a surgery that can make me shorter?”
to:
“If I decide to have it, what exactly will happen to me?”
How will I get to Istanbul? When will I meet the surgeon? What happens on the day of surgery? When will I be able to stand and walk again? Who will be with me during my recovery? And when will I be able to return home and resume my daily life?
That is why we wrote this article.
Not simply to explain the surgery, but to take you through the journey as it actually happens, from the first message you send us until the day you return to your country and continue your recovery there.
Everything Starts With a Message
Your first message may be very simple:
“Hello, I’m considering height reduction surgery.”
But for us, this message is the beginning of getting to know you.
We ask about your age, height, weight, health condition, and the result you would like to achieve.
Perhaps you only want to reduce your height by 3 or 4 cm.
Or perhaps your first question is:
What is the maximum amount of height I can reduce?
In suitable cases, the femur can be shortened by up to approximately 6 cm. If the goal is greater, once recovery from the first surgery is complete, the possibility of a second surgery on the tibia can be evaluated, allowing for an additional shortening of up to approximately 3 cm.
This means that, in suitable cases, a two-stage plan may allow for a total height reduction of approximately 9 cm.
But we do not start with the number. We start with your body.
The length of your femur and tibia, your body proportions, X-rays, and overall health condition are all considered in the surgeon’s evaluation before determining the appropriate amount of shortening.
Because the most important question is not simply:
“How many centimeters shorter can I become?”
but rather:
“What is the right plan for my body?”
Imagine You Have Booked Your Appointment... The Journey Is Real Now
After weeks, or perhaps months, of thinking, you have made your decision and scheduled your surgery.
From this moment on, height reduction surgery is no longer just something you read about online. You now have a surgery date, a flight ticket, and a clear plan for the days you will spend in Istanbul.
Before you travel, our team stays in contact with you to explain the necessary preparations and how your first few days will proceed.
When your flight lands in Istanbul, our team welcomes you at the airport, takes you to your hotel to rest, and remains in contact with you to organize your appointments, transportation, and the steps related to your surgery, making sure your first days are clear and well organized.
The following day, the stage you have been preparing for begins:
Your final medical examinations and your meeting with the surgeon.
Final Medical Examinations and Meeting With the Surgeon
Before surgery, you undergo the necessary medical examinations to make sure you are ready for the procedure. These usually include blood tests, X-rays, an ECG, and an evaluation by the anesthesiologist, along with any additional examinations that may be required depending on your condition.
Afterward, you meet the surgeon, and your X-rays and measurements are reviewed with you one final time.
This is when the most important details of your plan are finalized: the amount of shortening, the bone that will be operated on, and the proportions between the femur and tibia after the change.
In height reduction surgery, the femur can be shortened by up to approximately 6 cm in a single surgery in suitable cases. If the goal is greater, a second surgery on the tibia may be evaluated after recovery, allowing for an additional shortening of up to approximately 3 cm.
This means that achieving a greater reduction does not require exceeding the limits in a single surgery. Instead, the reduction can be divided into two stages when the patient’s condition is suitable.
Once the final plan has been agreed upon and your questions have been answered, you are ready for the day of surgery.
What Happens During Height Reduction Surgery?
During the surgery, the surgeon removes the predetermined section of bone, brings the two ends of the bone together, and stabilizes them using an internal intramedullary nail.
This is one of the key differences between height reduction surgery and limb lengthening surgery: there is no lengthening phase lasting several months to reach the target height, because the planned amount of shortening is achieved during the surgery itself.
The nail used for fixation is completely inside the bone, so you do not need an external fixator on your leg.
After the surgery is completed, you are transferred to your room, where postoperative medical monitoring and treatment begin.
Your hospital stay usually lasts around 3 days. During this period, the goal is not simply to rest; movement and physiotherapy also begin.
When Can You Stand and Walk After Surgery?
Movement begins early.
On the second day after surgery, you begin standing and walking with the assistance of a walker and under the supervision of the team.
Appropriate mobility aids are available during this stage, including a walker, crutches, and a wheelchair, depending on your needs.
During your days in the hospital, initial physiotherapy begins, and you are taught how to move appropriately before you transition to your accommodation.
After leaving the hospital, regular physiotherapy sessions continue, together with wound care and X-rays to monitor bone healing.
The goal during this period is clear: to allow the bone to continue healing while your legs gradually regain strength and mobility.
The First 6 Weeks: What Happens During This Period?
The first few weeks are an important part of the recovery process.
During this period, the focus is on three main areas: bone healing, physiotherapy, and gradually increasing your ability to move.
X-rays are used to monitor the progress of bone healing, while physiotherapy helps improve joint mobility, maintain flexibility, and restore muscle strength.
As the weeks progress, your activity level and exercises are adjusted according to your condition.
Usually, after around 6 weeks, it may be possible to reach the stage of walking without mobility aids when the X-rays show appropriate progress in bone healing and your doctor confirms that you are ready.
Therefore, we do not rely on the passage of 6 weeks alone. The decision is based on what your X-rays show and your condition at the time of evaluation.
Where Will You Stay During Recovery?
After leaving the hospital, you can continue your recovery in Istanbul, choosing to stay in either an apartment or a hotel depending on the package you have selected.
During this period, your follow-up program may include physiotherapy sessions, dressing changes and wound care, periodic X-rays, medications, and transportation for medical check-ups, depending on your selected package.
Staying in Istanbul during the first few weeks makes physiotherapy, medical follow-up, and examinations easier to organize.
At the same time, we do not want your stay to be limited only to treatment and appointments. Tours and activities are organized for patients so that you can enjoy a change of atmosphere and spend part of your stay outside the routine of physiotherapy.
Do You Have to Stay in Istanbul Until You Fully Recover?
Not necessarily.
Staying in Istanbul for a longer period allows you to continue physiotherapy and receive direct follow-up from the team, but some patients may be able to return to their country earlier.
If you return home early, you should be able to continue physiotherapy in your country, have the required X-rays taken, and send them to the team for follow-up.
Before you travel, your condition is evaluated, and the program you will continue after returning home is explained to you, including physiotherapy, your permitted activity level, and the schedule for your upcoming X-rays.
This way, your follow-up continues even when you are outside Türkiye.
What Happens After You Return to Your Country?
After returning home, bone healing and the process of regaining strength and mobility continue.
You continue physiotherapy according to the stage of recovery you have reached and send your X-rays at the required times so that the team can monitor the progress of bone healing.
As your condition improves, you can gradually return to more activities.
Work and everyday life come first, while returning to strenuous physical activities and sports takes place at a later stage, after recovery is complete and you have received your doctor’s approval.
The final goal is not only to achieve the planned amount of height reduction, but to reach the stage where you can live your daily life normally at the new height you have dreamed of for years.
Does the Internal Nail Remain Inside the Bone?
The internal nail is used to stabilize the bone during the healing process and can be removed later once recovery is complete.
Removal of the internal nails is usually evaluated after approximately 12 to 15 months, once X-rays confirm that the bone has healed appropriately and is stable.
Nail removal is a separate procedure from the primary height reduction surgery, and the final timing is determined after evaluation by the surgeon.
What About Scars After Surgery?
Although the fixation is completely internal, the surgery requires surgical incisions to access the bone and perform the fixation.
These incisions are monitored and cared for during the recovery period, and the appearance of the scars continues to improve over time.
The final appearance of the scars varies from person to person depending on skin characteristics, the healing process, and wound care.
See What the Stages of Recovery Look Like in Real Patients
Numbers can explain the timeline, but seeing a patient who has gone through the same stages can help you understand the experience more clearly.
For this reason, with our patients’ consent, we share photos and videos showing different stages of recovery: movement after surgery, improvements in walking, scars after healing, and final results.
Patient privacy remains a priority, and no private photos or videos are published without the patient’s consent.
Finally, if you are considering height reduction surgery, you can start by sending us four simple pieces of information:
Your age, height, weight, and the amount of height reduction you would like to achieve.
From this information, we can begin evaluating your goal and explaining the plan that may be appropriate for your case.
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