Foot Fetish – The Pros and Cons of Cosmetic Procedures for the Feet
Cosmetic surgery is not just for your face anymore. Increasing numbers of women are having injections or even going under the knife to alter their feet. Foot surgery is not something to be taken lightly.
There are 26 bones in the human foot, and humans depend on their feet daily for more tasks than they realize. In addition to general mobility, including walking and running, humans use their feet to drive vehicles, to stand, and, in the case of dancers, to express themselves and make their living.
There are definite pros and cons of cosmetic procedures for the feet, although most ethical surgeons will tell you that there are probably more cons than pros, unless there is pain and specific health problems.
For example, people with severe bunions who live in constant pain and cannot even wear proper shoes anymore, or those with excessively long toes that throw their walking stride off-balance, thus creating other foot problems such as painful corns, callouses, and even bunions, may want to consider foot surgery.
These specific problems are boney deformities that cannot be corrected with even the most expensive shoe inserts, no matter how much a sales associate may rave about their product’s effectiveness to solve foot problems. Therefore, surgery may be appropriate in these cases, because they are not elective. These types of operations are performed for specific health improvement reasons.
Keep in mind that, depending upon the procedure performed, recovery from foot surgery can take several months and be extremely painful, even possibly requiring use of strong prescription painkillers to allow you just to get through the day.
Pros and Cons of Cosmetic Procedures for the Feet
Pros about cosmetic foot procedures can include increased comfort while “styling”…
In an increasingly popular procedure called a “Loub Job,” physicians insert dermal filler into the balls, toe pads, and heels of women’s feet, apparently creating a cushioning effect that allows them to parade in stilettos without pain.
Additional positive aspects of foot surgery rest with those who have foot procedures performed for medical rather than elective reasons:
Foot surgery can reduce or eliminate bone deformities such as severe bunions, thus reducing pain, loosening tight tendons, and restoring the foot to a normal shape.
Shortening excessively long toes due to the imbalance and resulting problems they cause in walking can help you develop a more normal walking style that is healthier for your feet and reduces foot pain.
The Cons of Elective Foot Surgery Outweigh the Pros:
Foot surgery, whether elective or for medical reasons, is still surgery and poses all the risks of any surgical procedure–reaction to general anesthesia, infection, post-surgical complications.
Foot surgery can be extremely painful, even for cosmetic procedures, especially if they involve altering the toes. The metatarsal joints are small, and any type of surgical alteration, for whatever reason, will require a lengthy recovery. So if you want to have your toes shortened to fit into those fancy heels, don’t expect to be able to wear them for many months afterwards.
Dr. Leslie H. Stevens is a board certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills and co-director of the renowned Lasky Clinic, known for its extensive celebrity clientele. Dr. Stevens specializes in facelifts, eye lifts, breast augmentation, tummy tucks, labiaplasty, liposuction and body contouring. His practice is located in the Los Angeles area at the Lasky Clinic in Beverly Hills.
