NHS urges people to avoid ‘extremely painful’ leg-lengthening surgery
It is the ultimate eyebrow-raising kitchen table confession in Celine Song’s romantic comedy-drama, Materialists.After matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) grows suspicious of scars on her new partner’s body, financier Harry (Pedro Pascal) makes a startling admission: he has had leg-lengthening surgery – and gained six inches in height.The couple split soon after.But amid a wave of interest in the cosmetic procedure and clinics in Turkey offering discounts, the NHS in England has issued a stark warning, urging people against it.The surgery involves breaking the bones in the legs before pulling them apart to lengthen them over weeks or months.
Invented by the Soviet surgeon Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov in the 1950s, it was used to treat patients with clinical needs, but is now offered privately for cosmetic purposes,China’s health ministry banned cosmetic leg lengthening in 2006, over fears about the risks to patients, but the practice is booming elsewhere,The global limb-lengthening industry will be worth $8,6bn (£6,4bn) by 2030, according to estimates.
Private treatment in the UK can cost more than £50,000, with some surgeons charging £240,000.Clinics in Turkey offer the procedure for £24,000.Limb-lengthening surgery involves two main steps.A surgeon performs an osteotomy, cutting the bone into two segments, and then attaches a limb lengthening device to the two segments.The device comprises a thin metal frame and is attached to the bones with pins or wires.
Most of the device is outside the body, making it hard to wear certain clothes.Newer options involve a screw-like device placed inside the bone.Patients face a period of recovery and cannot walk for several weeks.Next, they begin adjusting their leg-lengthening device several times a day for several months.Each adjustment separates the bone segments a small amount.
As the bones separate, the body creates new bone to fill the gap between them.However, if not done carefully, the risks are high.Bones separated too quickly will not mend or will grow together with tissue too fragile to bear the body’s weight.Some legs can end up being different lengths.Patients also risk infection, nerve damage and permanent disability.
Prof Tim Briggs, an orthopaedic surgeon and NHS England’s national director for clinical improvement and elective recovery, said leg lengthening surgery was “not a quick fix”.“It is a serious, invasive procedure that can be beneficial for patients when there is a genuine clinical need but carries significant risks and requires informed discussions between patient and surgeon.“Patients face months of treatment, which can be extremely painful, with the possibility of infection, nerve damage, blood clots and even permanent disability.“Anyone considering this surgery for cosmetic reasons abroad, should think very carefully about the long recovery and the risks, and I would urge against it unless well informed about where they are seeking treatment.“Don’t gamble with your health or your life for a few extra inches without fully understanding the risks.
”
Ben & Jerry’s founders call for the brand to be ‘freed’ from its owners
The co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s have called for the ice-cream brand to be made independent and excluded from current owner Unilever’s plans to list its ice-cream business on the stock market.Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield say The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), a new division of Unilever that is set to be separately listed in November and includes the brand founded by the pair in 1978 alongside Magnum, Cornetto and Wall’s, “must free Ben & Jerry’s” in an open letter to prospective investors and the group’s board.The pair, who no longer have a financial interest in Ben & Jerry’s or any formal role, say they “feel compelled to speak out – as concerned individuals”.“We are deeply concerned that the commitments made to us, our employees, and our customers are being eroded. For several years now the voice of Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced by Unilever, particularly when the brand has tried to speak out about social justice and unjust wars
Nice deal if it happens – but Anglo Teck is also an invitation to other bidders
Anglo American, of the FTSE 100 index, and the Canadian group Teck Resources, would like you to think of their proposed $53bn (£39bn) combo as “a true merger of equals”, which it obviously isn’t because the UK-listed company is about twice the size. Anglo’s shareholders, even after they’ve been paid $4.5bn via a special dividend to even up the ratios a bit, will still emerge with 62.4% of the new company.But it is a merger in the sense that Anglo isn’t paying a meaningful takeover premium to get the deal done – just a token one of 2%
Apple debuts thinner, $999 iPhone Air at ‘awe-dropping’ annual product event
Apple debuted its latest iPhone on Tuesday, trumpeting the smartphone’s slimmest design yet. The device, named the iPhone Air, is one of several upgrades the company unveiled at its annual product showcase, promoted with the title “awe-dropping”. The event kicked off at 10am PT with CEO Tim Cook speaking in front of its Cupertino headquarters.“Design is at the core of everything we do,” Cook said. The CEO touted the company’s thin iPhone, which sports a width of 5
How Google dodged a major breakup – and why OpenAI is to thank for it
Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, writing to you as I finish the audiobook version of Don DeLillo’s White Noise, which I can’t say I found compelling.In tech – artificial intelligence is having its day in court with an 11th-hour appearance in Google’s landmark antitrust trial and Anthropic’s major settlement with book authors.Google dodged a catastrophic breakup, and it has its biggest competitor to thank for that, according to the judge who could have forced the tech giant to sell off Chrome, the most popular web browser in the world, and perhaps Android, the world’s most widely used mobile operating system.Amit Mehta, who ruled in 2024 that Google had built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the internet search business, said last week that he would not force the most drastic remedy on the tech giant
Pope among the runs as Surrey build against Warwickshire: county cricket, day two – as it happened
A round of closely matched first-innings games bubbled intriguingly around the country. At the Oval, Surrey oiled their sinews and started to pull away from Warwickshire, after Rory Burns (idiosyncratically), Dom Sibley (steadily) and Ollie Pope (busily) each collected a half century. Earlier, Warwickshire had inched to a two-run first-innings lead, but just short of a batting point, thanks to fifty from Ed Barnard and some lusty blows from Nathan Gilchrist. There were three wickets for the rapid Gus Atkinson and four for Tom Lawes.Nottinghamshire, who started the round just nine points behind Surrey, stay on their tail after Josh Tongue ruined Worcestershire’s afternoon
Team USA make early Ryder Cup faux pas with ‘McIlroy’ silhouette T-shirt
Navy top carries the slogan ‘USA Ryder Cup 2025’Social media erupted after item went on sale onlineThe United States team has made an early Ryder Cup faux pas after an official T-shirt appeared on sale, featuring a silhouette which bears an uncanny resemblance to Europe’s Rory McIlroy. What on earth was wrong with Scottie Scheffler? McIlroy is the leading name on the European roster to face the US at Bethpage on the final weekend of September.Social media erupted after the item appeared on the US element of the official Ryder Cup shop. Costing $65 (£48), the navy Ralph Lauren T-shirt carries the slogan “USA Ryder Cup 2025”. The golfer performing a follow through as the backdrop is almost certainly McIlroy albeit the Northern Irishman shrugged off the bizarre matter at Wentworth on Tuesday
‘The Mother Teresa of Aussie supermarkets’: meet the woman cataloguing grocery deals on TikTok
Drawings reveal Victorian proposal for London’s own Grand Central station
Blur’s Dave Rowntree: ‘People think music was better in the old days, to which I say: bollocks!’
Gems review – dazzling technique elevates LA Dance Project’s contemporary ballet trilogy
The Guide #207: How Britain embraced The Simpsons, America’s true first family
From On Swift Horses to David Byrne: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead