Although being tall is considered an important physical feature for many, it is not the same for everyone. Having a height much taller than necessary can lead to discomfort in daily life or restrict certain activities. Therefore, the advantage of tall stature can vary from person to person.
It is known that naturally reducing one's height is not possible for tall individuals; they can only appear somewhat shorter by wearing certain clothes, but this only changes their appearance. The only way for tall individuals to shorten their stature is through height reduction surgery. However, before undergoing such surgery, your doctor have to decide if you are suitable for the operation. Those curious about the pre-operative assessment for height reduction surgery can find detailed information in the continuation of our article.
What Criteria Do Doctors Evaluate to Approve Patients for Height Reduction Surgery?
First of all, we should point out that the first criterion to undergo height reduction surgery is that you must have completed puberty. Height reduction surgery is not suitable for individuals who have not yet completed puberty.
Before having height reduction surgery, your doctor performs some tests to decide whether you are suitable for surgery. These tests include radiological examinations, measurements, blood tests and other necessary examinations. In addition, chronic diseases, smoking and your general health condition are examined in detail by our doctor. After all these tests and checks, our doctor decides whether you are suitable for surgery.
During the consultation with patients who are suitable for surgery, all processes related to the surgery are explained in detail and the patient is waited for the final decision at this point. Both the physical and psychological suitability of the patient are very critical for this process. If the patient does not have a physical or psychological condition that would prevent the surgery, the surgery date is determined as soon as possible.
Who Cannot Have Height Reduction Surgery?
Height reduction surgery is a surgical intervention that has a longer and more difficult recovery process compared to other types of surgery. In order to have this surgery, patients should meet certain criteria, and patients who do not meet these criteria cannot be approved for surgery by the doctor. You can find some criterias for this surgery in our list below:
Individuals whose puberty has not been completed: Thanks to the growth plates in the body, people continue to grow in height until the end of puberty. Although this period varies from person to person, it generally falls between the ages of 18-21 and it is possible to grow taller naturally during this period. With the end of puberty, these growth plates close and the person stops growing taller. When height reduction surgery is performed before puberty ends, the growth plates are still active, so the person may continue to grow taller after the surgery, and in this case, the surgery loses its importance. This is exactly why one of the first criteria for surgery is that the person has completed puberty.
Chronic Illnesses: Each chronic disease may have different negative effects on people who will undergo surgery. These complications can sometimes occur during surgery and sometimes after surgery; For example, some chronic diseases can lower the patient's immune system and increase the risk of infection after surgery. Therefore, when it comes to a chronic disease, the final decision is made by the doctor. Of course, we cannot say that a person with a chronic disease can never have this surgery, but at this point, your doctor will perform the necessary examinations to make the final decision.
Psychological Situations: Although it is an overlooked issue, it is very important for people to feel psychologically ready before having surgery. Since the recovery period of height reduction surgery is long, patients must stay away from their daily lives for a few months after the surgery. Therefore, it is very important for them to be truly aware of the process of this surgery and feel psychologically ready.
In order to have height reduction surgery, there are other factors such as your drug use, blood tests and general health conditions that your doctor checks before the surgery. However, the 3 items mentioned above are very important for this process. If you want to get more detailed information about the conditions of height reduction surgery, you can also take a look at our article "Conditions for Height Reduction Surgery".
Also, if you are considering having this surgery and are looking for more details about the process, you can get clearer information by watching our patient interview who has experienced this surgery process in our video below. For any other questions you may have, you can directly contact our patient representatives.