Is it permissible to increase one's height through cosmetic surgery for someone who suffers from short stature?
Elongating one's stature with hormones and treating the causes of short stature are permissible. However, surgery relies on breaking the bone and is associated with risks such as muscle fibrosis and infections. The fundamental principle is the prohibition of a human harming themselves, except for the purpose of medical treatment. It is forbidden to break a healthy bone without need, as clarified by Ibn Hazm and Dr. Salih Al-Fawzan, and breaking the bone of a deceased person is like breaking that of a living one. Short stature is not usually a defect, and surgically elongating it may not achieve symmetry and can cause deformities, in addition to its dangerous complications. Therefore, one must be content with what Allah has decreed, for a person's beauty lies in their character and their worth in what they excel at.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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