American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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Bapho96
4 years ago
Answered

Foot fat grafting to be taller

Hi everybody,

In my country (Spain), there is a doctor who offers a procedure to gain an inch in height. It consists in using autologous fat and transfer it to the heel, making you taller. It is a high pressure zone, but she says that it will last and wil be permanent because there`s almost no reabsorption. Could anybody give an opinion about this? She has good reputation but I`m very skeptical

Procedure: Injectable Fillers
Location: Córdoba, CO - Spain

Replies 2

Jeffrey Gusenoff
ASPS Surgeon

Hello Bapho96,

At the University of Pittsburgh in the United States, we are finishing a two-year randomized cross over clinical trial of fat injections into the heel. No one has increased their height and everyone loses fat as time goes by. I don’t think you could safely inject enough fat to elevate a person and get the fat to survive. I hope that helps in your decision.

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Jon Harrell
ASPS Surgeon

There is almost always some absorption of fat after fat grafting. Also it is usually advisable to avoid pressure on grafted fat to improve the survival of the fat. This would most definitely be difficult with transfer to the heels. I would be skeptical of this doctor's 'success' with this technique and would like to see that the results being put forth are real. Best of Luck Dr Harrell

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