A man who broke his own legs to add to his height has opened up about the ordeal and admits he still has some growing to do.
Leon, who previously stood at 5 feet 6 inches, embarked on the grueling journey in 2023, with the goal of reaching 6 feet 4 inches.
He has since shared his experience with his followers on social media.
To achieve his desired height, Leon must undergo a complex and painful cosmetic procedure that involves breaking the thigh bones and implanting metal pins and braces around the fractures.
Over time, a screw mechanism is turned daily, gradually stretching the bones as they heal.
Once the target length is reached, the bones are allowed to heal fully, followed by intensive physiotherapy to regain mobility.
“I’ve always dreamed of being taller,” Leon said on his TikTok account, @le_tremba.
“My journey began in 2023 when I underwent my first leg lengthening surgery on my femur, increasing my height from 171.5cm to 182cm using the LON method with an external fixator.”
On February 23, Leon posted a video showing himself struggling to walk, with the caption: “Current height: 184cm. Goal: 192-195cm.” Text overlaid on the footage read: “50 days after leg lengthening, my walking during the process of getting taller.”
The controversial procedure, which has gained popularity in recent years, allows patients to increase their height significantly.
In a separate video, Leon consulted a specialist to discuss the limitations of leg-lengthening surgery.
“Well, the maximum capacity of the Betzbone [leg-lengthening system] on the femur side is 12.3 centimeters, and on the tibia side is 10 centimeters,” the surgeon explained.
“From a medical point of view or from biomechanics, we have to be cautious if you extend the femur, for example, beyond 10 centimeters, or the tibia beyond eight centimeters. The nail itself can do 10 on tibias and 12.3 on femurs.”
The specialist further advised that patients should monitor their progress carefully.
“On the femurs, the average of my clients is all around eight and 10 centimeters. Well, it's not exactly eight and it's not exactly nine or something like that," he said.
"Usually, that's what I kind of recommend to my clients—watch yourself in the mirror, and once you feel fine, once you feel fine with your height, once you feel fine with your proportion, with your esthetic outcome, then you slow down the click rate, and you can stop whenever you like.”
What do you think of Leon's attempts to add to his height?