Best Foot Forward?

Shoes! You want to wear that perfect pair. NBC News reported the trend in startling designer shoes was precipitated with the character Carrie’s shoe fetish in the show Sex in the City. And now women are actually having toe shortening and slimming surgery. Is this going a step too far? The higher the heel, the more desired it seems. If the shoe fits, wear it the old saying used to go, but how can you wear these objects of wearable art without shaping the foot to fit?

Toes being shortened, fat transfers to the balls of the feet, toe lengthening, arch reconstruction, are all becoming a trend in cosmetic surgery. The Huffington Post sees this as “toe-bestity,” the new American obsession. In fact they called it a “neurosis,” but I looked around the Internet and found that surgeons in the UK are performing cosmetic foot surgery as well. But in the United states cosmetic foot procedures had doubled in 2011! Who knows what it is up to now?

And then there is the “Loub Job.” This is the new term to describe the injection of collagen, fat, or Sculptra as a “pad” to cushion the ball of your foot. The designer Christian Louboutin coined the term because it is apparently a surgical procedure needed to wear his shoes. His shoes seem to top out at 8 inches or so, however Romanian shoe designer Mihai Albu has created 12 inch high “skyscraper” heels. Of course, these skyscrapers have platforms so high, that perhaps a woman only need worry about falling and breaking her neck rather than surgery to fit into them. Albu is considered an “architectural” shoe designer, and one can certainly see a relationship to Gaudi’s towers in the shoes.

Is it safe? The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society doesn’t think so. Foot doctors warn that unnecessary surgery to the foot can cause extreme complications such as nerve damage, and chronic pain when walking, as well as infection, and scarring. The organization is taking a stand against cosmetic foot surgery. I say, don’t put your foot in your mouth! Put your best face forward! At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, Smartlift face lift surgery has been making Dr. B’s patients happier than new shoes.

Call Melinda at the front desk for your consultation with Dr. Branman (501) 227-0707