Cosmetic Foot Surgery to Beautify Feet Has Serious Risks

SEATTLE -- An alarming trend in women's health and fashion has been the advocacy of cosmetic surgery to improve the appearance of women's feet or to accommodate their feet to high fashion shoes. Among the surgeries being touted by some are shortening of the toes, narrowing of the feet, injecting the fat pad with collagen or other substances, and other procedures performed solely to change the appearance of the feet, rather than provide pain relief or improve foot function.

In an official statement on cosmetic foot surgery released today on FootCareMD.com, the new public information site of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS), doctors warn consumers that the risks inherent in such surgery can far outweigh the benefits. The medical advisory notes that foot surgery should not be performed in the absence of pain or functional limitation.

"The public needs to be aware of the risks associated with these procedures," counseled AOFAS president Glenn B. Pfeffer, MD, of San Francisco. "Women need to know what they are getting into." He noted that the trend towards the practice of cosmetic surgery raises serious concern when one considers the risks of surgery on painless feet. "Complications can include infection, nerve injury, prolonged swelling of a toe, and even chronic pain with walking," Pfeffer said.

The Foot and Ankle Society decided to take a public stance on cosmetic foot surgery after recent consumer magazine articles ran stories on women who had surgery so that their feet would look "prettier" and fit better into their shoes. Since ill-fitting shoes are the cause of most forefoot deformities, the obvious choice would be to wear better fitting shoes.

"I think it's reprehensible for a physician to correct someone's feet so they can get into Jimmy Choo shoes," said Sharon Dreeben, MD, of La Jolla, Calif., chair of the AOFAS Public Education Committee.

Studies have shown that many of the most prevalent forefoot deformities, including bunions, hammer toes, claw toes, corns, neuromas and bunionettes, are associated with the repetitive use of ill-fitting shoes.

"To perform surgery with significant risk in order to put the foot back into the very device that caused the problem is inappropriate," said Dreeben. "Continuing to wear ill-fitting shoes will likely lead to a reoccurrence of the foot deformity, pain, or new forefoot problems. At worst, cosmetic surgery may result in a woman being unable to wear any shoes, let alone fashionable shoes."

Dreeben added that fashionable shoes can be widened or otherwise modified or the wearer can choose to wear shorter heels. "Changing the shoe to fit the foot is a perfectly acceptable practice," she said. "What the Society discourages is changing the foot to fit the shoe."

Source: American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society

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