The job of Ibrahim Alan was to help young people. He was unable to solve his own height complex.

Alan is from the city of Adana. He was taller than 5 feet 2 and had strong feelings about it.

He told Insider that people don't take shorter people as seriously as taller ones. He said he didn't know how to help students at his school.

He believes charisma is a must-have feature in leadership. You start 0-1 down when you're short.

At least once a week, Alan's colleagues joked about his height. He thought tall people around him were more popular and had more opportunities. He said that they were more beneficial in private relationships.

He said he'd never forget his first girlfriend telling him she wished he was taller, and said derogatory comments throughout his life have always remained.

He researched methods that claimed to increase a person's height. His height was increased by taking powders and pills. He played a number of sports.

He said that he used to hang from a bar before he went to sleep. I use insoles that claim to increase height.

The only thing that worked was the shoes that made him taller. They were not sufficient. He described it as a false dream. I had to take my shoes off every time.

Every day my obsession got bigger.

'My life purpose'

Ibrahim Alğan is laying in a hospital bed before his surgery.
Alğan had his first operation in February 2015.
Courtesy of Wannabetaller

Alan added 5 inches to his height.

He didn't tell anyone about his first surgery because he didn't think they'd understand.

He was able to grow 2.4 inches. He told people that he needed surgery to correct a bone abnormality.

He had a second operation in March of 2020.

He quit his job as a counselor and founded a clinic in Turkey that offers leg-lengthening surgery after the surgery. A majority of the team is made up of people who have had surgery.

There are many people who would like to have this surgery done in Turkey, but not many options to consult or even get more insight into the process.

Depending on the size of the patient, his clinic charges between $70,000 and $150,000.

He didn't want to run a leg-lengthening business before he had surgery. I had only one goal in mind, and that was to get taller.

A new group of patients

Leg-lengthening surgery has been in the news recently. It was initially used for treating people with different lengths of legs, but it is now being used by patients who want to be taller.

One of the world's leading limb- and leg-lengthening surgeons said the procedure involves cutting the leg bones.

In order to gain access to the hollow part of the bone, I insert a device that responds to an external control that the patient will control at home.

The remote control is used by the patient to increase their height a day after the surgery in a process that is painless.

He told Insider that increased media coverage has opened the procedure up to a new group of people.

The majority of my patients are young men who want to increase their height. There are a lot of older patients, average-height individuals, female patients, and even those who are looking for height- reduction surgery. People who are transitioning genders want their bodies to align better with their perception of themselves.

'Now I can see myself as a real adult'

Ibrahim Alğan sitting outside with his legs crossed.
Alğan was 5-foot-2 before his leg-lengthening surgery.
Courtesy of Wannabetaller.

Since becoming taller, Alan's life has changed dramatically.

He said he used to feel like a child, but now he can see himself as an adult. The phrase "this outfit suits you" affects me positively in many aspects of my life.

He likes that he doesn't have to look up when he's talking to people, and it allows him to think more healthily.

He said that he supports people who have psychological difficulties in growing taller as he runs the clinic.

He said that people no longer make jokes about his height. I think self-confidence is the most valuable thing a leader can have.