July 22, 2025 – Baku
Online ads in Azerbaijan claiming to boost your height by 8–9 centimeters in just one month — and at a bargain price — are raising eyebrows among medical professionals. Media.Az spoke with orthopedic trauma surgeon Javid Ismayilov to investigate whether such results are possible without surgery, or if it’s just another deceptive marketing ploy.
According to Dr. Ismayilov, legitimate limb-lengthening procedures do exist in modern orthopedics, but they always require surgical intervention and a lengthy rehabilitation process. The two most widely used techniques are the Ilizarov method and its more advanced counterpart, Lengthening Over Nail (LON).
The Ilizarov method involves gradually stretching the bone using an external frame with metal rings and pins attached to the leg, allowing the bone to grow over time. The LON technique combines an internal metal rod with an external device to provide additional stability and reduce recovery time. In both cases, height can be increased by 5–8 cm per leg, or up to 10–14 cm in total — but going beyond that raises the risk of complications and can disrupt natural body proportions.
Dr. Ismayilov notes that the ideal age for such surgeries is between 18 and 35, when bones regenerate more effectively. Older patients face slower healing and a higher risk of complications, including infections, improper bone fusion, nerve or vascular damage, joint stiffness, and the emotional toll of a lengthy recovery.
In Azerbaijan, the procedure typically costs $10,000 to $20,000, and the full process — from installation of the device to bone consolidation — can take 6 to 12 months.
As for the widely circulated offers claiming non-surgical height gains for just 100–150 manats, Dr. Ismayilov is blunt: “That’s completely false. For that price, you might get a small orthopedic accessory, but real height increase without surgery is impossible.”
In short, promises of rapid, low-cost height enhancement are little more than marketing gimmicks or outright scams. Genuine height augmentation is a serious medical procedure requiring careful planning, substantial financial resources, and long-term commitment.
