Husband taking residency for cosmetic procedures, but I'm unsure on the ethics

[MrFahrenheit]

My husband wants to take on a residency doing this crazy height-increasing surgery as well as congenital cases. Now I wholeheartedly support people fixing their leg discrepancies, but I think it's a bit crazy to operate on a healthy patient who just wants to be taller. Maybe I don't understand enough about the troubles people face with their height, but regardless, I don't think this is a viable solution and this is really tearing us apart. I've read up on some studies about the ethics of it and what not here Exploring the Ethics of Stature Lengthening as Treatment for Height Dysphoria but I'm still not convinced.

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[Mad Jack]

My husband wants to take on a residency doing this crazy height increasing surgery Leg Lengthening Surgery Makes Getting Taller Possible as well as congenital cases. Now I whole heartedly support people fixing their leg discrepancies, but I think it's a bit crazy to operate on a healthy patient who just wants to be taller. Maybe I don't understand enough about the troubles people face with their height, but regardless, I don't think this is a viable solution and this is really tearing us a part. I've read up on some studies about the ethics of it and what not here Exploring the Ethics of Stature Lengthening as Treatment for Height Dysphoria but I'm still not convinced.

It's a challenging thing to address the ethics of. Most patients would likely better be served by therapy than anything else, but there is also the issue of bodily autonomy. To some, a height surgery is no different than a more extreme piercing or tattoo and it is merely a cosmetic decision, to others it's a series medical procedure that requires a pathology to justify. These camps rarely see eye-to-eye in medicine, as one argues medicine should make lives better while the other argues medicine should treat illness and disease. Regardless, it seems he is operating in more of a gray area which makes me wonder: why does it disturb you so greatly that it is harming your relationship?

 

[Olivia D]

Yeah, it really harms the relationship.

 

[inthefuture]

As someone who has had serious body dysmorphia due to his height/is planning to get limb lengthening later this year, I say good on your husband. To a lot of short guys, it's very debilitating. Please try to understand.

 

[deleted1100659]

this seems very patient dependent, if someone is incredibly short and this has caused a loss of opportunities which has affected mental health then perhaps could be a risk vs benefit and benefits may or may not outweigh the risks. If it was a guy who was 5'10 and wanted to be 6 foot or something of that nature, then that seems kind of extreme to me.

Usually with every form of cosmetic surgery theres limits/expectations and minimum requirements

Im lucky that im on the taller side, but I imagine short men have more trouble dating, historically females seem to like at least average-taller men, just from what ive personally seen.

 

[VenusinFurs]

As far as I can see, it is no more unethical than going to plastics residency and then going on to do cosmetic surgeries. There is a demand for these procedures and I would rather see them done safely by the right person than by an untrained inexperienced person, possibly in a back alley overseas.