‘Toe- Besity’ : A New Trend in Cosmetic Surgery

We have all heard of breast enhancements, tummy tucks and face lifts but not many among us have heard about plastic surgery done to reduce toe size!

With an increasing obsession for a perfect body, it comes as no surprise that requests to cut a fat toe to size have escalated over the years, as confirmed by New York-based Dr. Oliver Zong, a podiatrist, who has assigned the term "toe-besity" to the new trend.

Apparently some people are so embarrassed with their obese toes that they have hidden it even from their intimate partners. Dr. Zong says that he didn’t have to deal with people making this request before he started practice ten years ago. He said that he was taken by surprise at requests for fat toes to be shaved off.

In some cases toe deformation could indicate that the individual could be suffering from other health problems such as arthritis, bunions and hammertoe, which would require a surgery to be rectified. In such cases the surgery is more to restore comfort to the suffering individual than for cosmetic reasons.

However, there are other podiatrists who think that ‘toe-besity’ is unethical and do not support the idea of foot surgery purely for cosmetic reasons. They believe that such surgeries must not be conducted if there is no pain or other functional impairment, as a surgery usually puts a person under several risks such as that for anesthesia, deformity, infection and other general risks associated with surgery.

But Zong himself believes that toe surgeries are just like any other cosmetic surgeries and that the surgeries restore self-esteem and confidence in ‘needy’ individuals. He believes that the procedures may be carried out as long as they are safe.

Cosmetic toe surgeries are considered elective and are, therefore, not covered by insurance companies. The cost of the procedure is entirely dependant on the nature of the procedure and the degree of complication involved.

Source-Medindia