Cosmetic Surgery Center, Dallas | Dr. Rai

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

How About a Foot Facelift?

Most women would probably agree that high heels look and feel more elegant than flat shoes. Some women love to wear very high heels, and that becomes part of their self-image, so that they wear such shoes at work and at play. After a while, discomfort and pain become issues.

Some women have been asking podiatrists to improve their feet by making them narrower to fit into narrow shoes more comfortably, or by amputating or shortening a toe for a better foot shape.

Controversial Plastic Surgery for the Feet

Some podiatrists have obliged and there are facilities nationwide that will provide cosmetic foot surgery. As an example, in Beverly Hills, California, there is a cosmetic foot surgery clinic founded by a podiatrist that offers these surgeries.

  • The Cinderella Procedure – offered as a bunion prevention procedure and involves making the feet more narrow;
  • Foot-Tuck Fat Pad Augmentation – which takes fat from your abdomen and injects it into the balls of your feet to give you extra cushioning in your high heels;
  • Toe Shortening – done per toe and designed to prevent hammertoes, where the toe joint becomes fixed in a bent position. This can cause corns on the joint and displacement of the fat pad beneath the foot. Hammertoes could be caused by wearing high heels daily, especially if they are a bit too small for your feet.
  • Toe Lengthening – which can be done to correct an overdone toe shortening;
  • Slimming the Pinky Toes – which helps a woman fit into narrower shoes.

However, many podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons oppose such procedures and the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) has put out a press release explaining why they are not a good idea.

Downsides of Cosmetic Foot Surgery

The AOFAS warns that surgery should never be performed on a foot that is functioning well and not in pain. Our feet carry our entire weight, which puts them under a lot of daily stress. Each foot has 26 bones and 30 joints that connect to, and are supported by, tendons, nerves, and skin. Our feet are designed to give us painless walking and running and if they are providing that, any cosmetic surgery will jeopardize it.

All surgery brings risk and before having any surgery, cosmetic or otherwise, you should always weigh the potential benefits with the potential risks and known downsides. A cosmetic foot surgery done to facilitate the wearing of high heels could give you:

  • Infection
  • Nerve injury
  • Large scars
  • Post-surgical pain
  • Complications that might prevent comfort in any walking and in any type of shoe

By all means, wear high heels at times; but why do it to the point where your feet develop problems? If your feet are pain-free and functioning well, it’s a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Incurring surgical risks could bar you from ever wearing high heels.

Dr. Rai is always interested in new procedures and has been keeping himself updated on all new plastic surgery ideas over the years. But only when a new procedure is tested and proven to be beneficial does he add it to our offerings here at The Cosmetic Surgical Center.

If you would like to know more about our cosmetic surgery offerings for both males and females, please contact our Dallas, Texas office today for a free consultation.

posted by JennyK at 2:46 PM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home