Manhattan podiatrist Dr. Oliver Zong specializes in treating foot pain through cosmetic surgery.  He’s heard a variety of reasons why women want to go under the knife, from wanting to have sexier looking legs to longing to fit into their favorite pair of shoes.  He’s happy to perform the surgery, which is becoming known as the “foot facelift”.

“A lot of times it was patients wanted to get into you know fashionable shoes, and things of that sort, or it was the result of wearing fashionable shoes too long,” Dr. Zong said.

Although he’s happy to acquiesce to the needs of his clients, Zong says the shoes you see on the runway aren’t designed to be worn for an extended period of time.

“Your Jimmy Choos, your Christian Louboutins, those sort of shoes, shoes generally not made for the normal foot,” Zong said. “So what ends up happening is if your foot type doesn’t match that shoe type often times your foot will take on the shape of that shoe, and that is where the foot deformities occur.”

When you step back and look at the big picture, it appears to be a dangerous cycle.  Women are paying thousands of dollars to have dangerous and painful surgery to fix the deformities they caused by wearing ill-fitting heels.

Belinda Cozier-Fingal said she underwent the operation because the shoes she wanted to wear put stress on the wrong part of her foot.

“There is absolutely no flesh there. It was just bones projecting out,” Cozier-Fingal said. “I guess from wearing a lot of heels and pointed tip shoes because those were my favorite, pointed tip shoes. Those put a lot of strain on my foot.”

During surgery, Dr. Zong trimmed the bones in her toes and repositioned the fat to make the impact points of her foot more padded.

“I have one pair of stilettos that I really really like and I’m really hoping to be able to put my foot back in those,” Cozier-Fingal said. “Really hoping.”

The surgery isn’t for everybody, and many surgeons are speaking out against “foot facelifts”.  Dr. William Speilfogel, director of the Foundation of Podiatric Medicine, said cosmetic surgery exposes patients to many unnecessary risks.

“Doing surgery just to fit into a pair of shoes I don’t think really is a wise decision,” Dr. Speilfogel said. “There is possibility of getting an infection, of pain, there is swelling.”

While Dr. Zong believes some high heels exacerbate the problem, he believes flat shoes can also cause arch and heel pain.  He believes the perfect height for heels is “two and a half inches.”

Dr. Silverman comments

Dr. Zong needs to have his head examined.

One only needs to read the last line of the article to know that this is not a doctor with whom to hold any credibility. He said that very flat shoes can actually cause arch and heel pain, and the optimal heel height is about two and a half inches.

Now, I am routinely tolerant of others ideas in my blog, because being open to interpretation was part of my residency training.  Accepting other opinions is important in lifelong learning. However, this doctor is for lack of a better term, “WACK”.

During the Ob/GYN portion of my training I delivered 10 babies into this world.  None of the females had high heels on, and my own daughter wasn’t born with “two and a half inch heels”.

Where is that heel height recommendation in any respected literature?  Where in the world does he get that from?

There is a mountain of literature that would claim otherwise.  Furthermore, there is no line I have read in my religious studies that would suggest that God made women deficient and in need of a heel.

Let’s break this down further.  Dr. Zong is the business of cosmetic foot surgery, and cosmetic foot surgery requires a clientele to come in requesting to get into heels. If he says heels are healthier, then he is encouraging his business.

Now, I am the last person to tell a woman not to wear heels. They look beautiful and there are many reasons why women wear them, but they should only be worn part of the time.  Any rational woman will tell you that while certain Jimmy Choos feel comfortable, they certainly are not as comfortable as a pair of tennis shoes or flats.  There is even evidence that flat, un-arched shoes are actually healthier for your feet.

I hope women read about this “doctor” so they don’t cause themselves unnecessary harm.

Related source:  Fox New York

The post More Women Having “Foot Facelift” Surgery to Fit into High Heels appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.

Before he came to his conclusion, Benslimane spent 12 years researching what makes women’s legs attractive.  He studied models, athletes, Greek statues, Barbie dolls, and even drawings by Leonardo da Vinci.

In his analysis, Benslimane concluded that bones that run in a straight line from the thigh to the ankle are the most beautiful as they combine strength, beauty and symmetry.

“As soon as the column departs from the straight axis, it deviates from our perception of beauty,” he said.”

Benslimane said that the most appealing legs have nips and curves at the knee and calf. He also noted that the calf must have a short but well-defined curve, and the best legs have a longer and smoother convex curve on the outside of the leg.  While the symmetry of straight leg bones adds to their appeal, Benslimane said that the curves on the inside and outside of the legs should not be symmetrical.

Mark Soldin, a member of the British Association of Plastics, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, said that high heels heighten a woman’s sex appeal because they enhance the curves in their legs.  Not only do heels appear to lengthen a woman’s legs, but they heighten and define their most appealing qualities.

“The elevation of the heel enhances the convexity of the upper calf muscles, while making the ankle region appear even thinner, more fragile and feminine,” said Soldin.

Dr. Silverman Comments

Dr. Benslimane has clearly spent a long time researching the qualities that society finds most appealing, and I believe he is correct in his assessment of what exemplifies natural beauty in our legs.

It’s often difficult for a person’s legs to exhibit all the qualities Dr. Benslimane listed above, as few people can strike a balance between strength and fragility.

Dr. Soldin is also correct in his assessment of the role high heels play in our conception of beauty.  High heels appear to lengthen the leg and showcase the natural curves and arches formed by the leg.  While they may not be the most comfortable pair of shoes in the closet, this article points to why many women are always looking for that perfect pair of heels.

Related source: ryortho.com

The post Straight Legs Are Most Appealing, Study Finds appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.