Leg-lengthening surgery banned in China

China has announced a ban on leg-lengthening surgery, after reports of disfigurement arising from surgeries that did not go as planned, Xinhua reported.

The Health Ministry instituted the ban on the procedure, which involves breaking the patient's legs and stretching them on a rack. The operation is popular among young professionals who believe that an extra inch or two will help them climb the corporate ladder faster. Some employers specify a height requirement for certain jobs.

According to health ministry guidelines, only hospitals which conduct at least 400 orthopedic operations a year and offer post-surgical care and rehabilitation will be allowed to carry out the procedure. Only people who have a valid medical need for the surgery will be allowed to have it.

Hospitals must also tell patients about the risks involved and make sure that only qualified personnel carry out the operation. Several patients were reportedly lured to undergo the surgery by promises of "height surgery without pain" in a Beijing hospital last year.

The surgery can cost up to 20,000 euros and the recovery time can last as long as two years.

The leg-lengthening surgery was originally developed in Russia to help patients with birth defects such as dwarfism.