The men paying thousands to get their legs broken – and lengthened

It looks like medieval torture, from the metal rods inserted into sawn bones to the months of agonising recovery. But to some, travelling to Turkey to gain a few inches is a (very high) price worth paying.

A slim blond woman – a rare example of a female patient here – who was 5ft 3in before surgery, looks me square in the eyes as she deadpans that shortness “is the last acceptable prejudice in society” to explain why she underwent the procedure to gain two inches.