More Brits going abroad for leg-lengthening surgery to get taller – but it comes with ‘serious complications’

British surgeons have issued a stark warning regarding individuals travelling overseas for leg-lengthening procedures, highlighting the significant burden placed on the NHS.

Hospitals across the UK are increasingly encountering patients who require extensive follow-up care, including complex corrective surgery, intensive physiotherapy, and long-term rehabilitation, following operations performed abroad.

Experts have detailed the "challenging" complications observed, such as implant failure, inadequate bone healing, and severe limb deformities.

This alert comes as MPs are set to debate medical tourism, alongside other cosmetic procedures like liquid Brazilian butt lifts, in a committee hearing this week.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England noted that these findings underscore a growing trend of patients seeking surgical and cosmetic treatments outside the UK.

A study led by specialist limb reconstruction surgeons at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust calculated that addressing complications from just seven such cases has already cost the NHS over £36,000, with warnings that the true financial impact is likely far greater.

Writing in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the team said they had seen a “recent increase in patients presenting for rehabilitation and treatment of complications following limb lengthening”, such as implant failure, poor bone healing and severe joint stiffness.

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Source: The Independent, 3 June 2026