Did 'Materialists' Put You Onto Limb-Lengthening Surgery? Here's What It Actually Takes to Gain 6 Inches, According to a Surgeon

Yahoo

12-07-2025

People will do just about anything for love. They'll spend hours swiping through dating apps, message strangers halfway across the globe, or agree to blind setups based on a mutual friend's hunch and a vague description. They'll revamp their wardrobe, lease a flashier car, or drop cash on the latest gadgets just to boost their curb appeal.
But in the new dramedy Materialists, the search for a soulmate gets taken to new heights. Pedro Pascal's character undergoes leg-lengthening surgery to gain six inches, hoping it'll give him a competitive edge in the modern dating game.
And while this might sound like Hollywood satire, the procedure is very real (and increasingly common). Every year, hundreds of men sign up for the grueling, months-long process, which involves breaking the legs and gradually stretching them to gain a few extra inches—all in pursuit of some added height, a little more confidence, and maybe, just maybe, a better shot at romance.
Dr. S. Robert Rozbruch, chief of the Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service and Director of the Osseointegration Limb Replacement Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery, told Men's Journal that leg lengthening is a major part of his job.
"You're talking to somebody who has a lot of experience with limb-lengthening reconstruction, for a variety of reasons, mostly reconstructive, but stature lengthening is a part of what we do," he says. "If it's done in a responsible manner, i.e., a non-frivolous manner, it's a very powerful procedure, and can be very effective at improving the right patient's quality of life."
Simply put, leg lengthening, or stature lengthening, is a surgical procedure designed to increase a person's height. While it's commonly used to correct differences in leg length or treat certain deformities, it's also performed on people with constitutional short stature. This refers to those who are naturally shorter than average, but don't have a medical condition like dwarfism or growth hormone deficiency.
The goal for these patients is usually a subtle height increase of about three inches for psychological or aesthetic reasons. Individuals with dwarfism or other medical conditions, on the other hand, may seek more dramatic results.
One of the most common concerns people have before leg-lengthening surgery is the pain factor. The surgery itself sounds gruesome enough, but add an extra six months of recovery, and most people won't even consider stepping foot in a doctor's office for a consultation. But according to Dr. Rozbruch, the pain isn't nearly as bad as you might think.
"Most patients are off narcotic pain medication within about a week," he says. "We treat patients with multimodal pain management, a mixture of Tylenol and an anti-inflammatory medication, and usually a narcotic."
It hasn't always been this way, though. While modern motorized nails have made recovery easier, it was far rougher when external fixators were the norm. To paint a visual, these are metal frames worn outside the body, anchored into the bone with pins or wires that go straight through the skin and muscle. And yes, it's just as uncomfortable as it sounds.Stature lengthening surgery involves implanting a STRYDE nail into the femur (thigh bone) or tibia (shin bone), with the femur being the most common as it generally heals faster and produces less scarring. This rod gradually lengthens the bone, about one millimeter four times a day, according to Dr. Rozbruch.
"They're lengthening in total anywhere from three-quarters to one millimeter a day, depending on their age and depending on how well they're doing," he says. "It's cumulative, so if we're using the maximum lengthening as an example, eight centimeters, it will typically take about three months to get that length."
After their initial hospital stay, which usually only lasts a day or two, patients undergo intensive daily physical therapy to stretch their joints and muscles and prevent stiffness for the first several months.
"We treat them for just the routine post-op for the first day," he says. "We teach them physical therapy exercises to make sure they understand how important it is to stretch their knees and hips to maintain flexibility. And we teach them how to do the lengthening process. We teach them where to put the remote control device on their thigh so it communicates with the motorized nail inside the bone and has the ability to rotate a magnet inside the nail and move the gears and actually affect the lengthening."
The full process, from initial surgery through bone healing and rehab, takes several months, and the rods are removed about a year later.In Materialists, Pedro Pascal's character, Harry, reveals he and his brother got the procedure. In the film, he says: 'Women just approach us and talk to us now, which never happened before. I haven't struck out since. But you can also tell the difference at work, and at restaurants, and airports. You're just worth more.'
The line might feel like satire, but there's truth baked into it. For men who choose to undergo the procedure, the motivation isn't always just about aesthetics. Dr. Rozbruch says the decision is deeply personal and not taken lightly. Before he'll operate, he makes sure his patients are psychologically healthy and has them get a psych evaluation.
"I think patients who really seem to benefit from this are people who are psychologically healthy, who are very affected by their short stature, and it creates a feeling of dysphoria, sadness, and a lack of confidence," he says. "I think it's important to rule out psychological disorders like body dysmorphia, unrealistic expectations about what your body can look like, and what this can accomplish for you. Patients who have appropriate expectations and are properly motivated have done really, really well."
Did 'Materialists' Put You Onto Limb-Lengthening Surgery? Here's What It Actually Takes to Gain 6 Inches, According to a Surgeon first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 11, 2025