Like to wear high heels but don’t like the foot pain they can cause?
Just cut off your pinky toe. That’s what some women are doing in order to wear high heels for long periods of time, without the accompanying discomfort. In fact, pinky amputation for that purpose is becoming so popular that it has been given a name: “stiletto surgery.”
The American Podiatric Medical Association reports that 87% of women experience foot problems due to wearing ill-fitting shoes, including those stunningly gorgeous yet excruciatingly uncomfortable stiletto high heels. Podiatrists tell us that most foot surgeries are performed for medical reasons, such as to relieve pain, restore function, or reconstruct deformities. Removal of painful bunions and unsightly corns and calluses are also typical types of foot surgery.
Continue Reading
Foot Surgery for Purely Cosmetic Reasons
But some women are obsessed with foot fashion at any cost, which has spawned requests for cosmetic foot surgery just to make their high heels fit better and feel more comfortable to wear. A podiatrist in Memphis, TN reports a steady increase in the number of women interested in pinky toe removal so that they can slide into their stilettos and wear them pain free. Other types of procedures for this purpose include foot injections and toe shortening.
Injecting collagen into the balls of the feet adds cushion and comfort; this medical procedure is known as foot padding. One doctor reported that a patient told him that her stiletto surgery made her feel like she was walking on pillows whenever she wore her high heels. Some women opt for having their toes shortened to make wearing heels less painful. They get a centimeter or two strategically shaved off their pinky toe or other toes that may be causing them pain. Some of these women rationalize that stiletto surgery actually prevents future foot pain and other problems that wearing shoes can cause.
Most women who opt for the removal of their little toe report that their stilettos had been too painful to wear for more than a few minutes. And a growing number of women who experience this discomfort are shelling out thousands of dollars to surgically alter their feet just to make wearing their fashionable high heels a more comfortable experience. Toe shortening can cost anywhere from $500 to $1500 per toe and is considered cosmetic foot surgery. Removal of 1 toe costs about $1800. Neither procedure is typically covered by health insurance, so the ladies are paying out of pocket. These women opt for walking on 8 toes rather than trade in their favorite sky-high heels for flats.
These types of “shoe surgeries” work equally as well for sexy stilettos as they do for prism heels, spool heels, sling back heels, cone heels, wedge heels, and pumps.
Guess some women will do anything for their kicks.
Reference
- Fischer M. Women are cutting off their pinky toes to wear stilettos. Café Mom website. November 21, 2012. http://thestir.cafemom.com/beauty_style/147004/women_are_ cutting_off_their.
- Off with her pinky! How high heel-obsessed women are removing their toes with ‘stiletto surgery’ for a comfier fit. Daily Mail website. November 20, 2012. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ femail/article-2236039/Off-pinky-How-high-heel-obsessed-women-removing-toes-stiletto-surgery-comfier-fit.html.
- ‘Stiletto surgery’ may help you squeeze into your pumps. My Fox AL website. 2013. http://www.myfoxal.com/story/21855351/stiletto-surgery-may-help-you-squeeze-into-your-pumps.
- Tenney G. ‘Stiletto surgery’ alters pinky toe for better fit. Fox News website. November 20, 2012. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/20/tiletto-surgery-removes-pinky-toe-for-better-fit/.
