Sep 22, 2009 7:02 pm US/Eastern
Latest Rage In Cosmetic Surgery: Foot-Lifts
When A Pedicure Is Not Enough, Many Are Opting For Procedures That Can Make Shoes Much More Enjoyable
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Plastic surgery as a whole has plummeted during this recession, but one surgery keeps growing! And you only have to look down to see who's signing up.
There is a new and unusual trend to transform not your face, but your feet.
They're sleek, sexy and sky high. The siren call of the stiletto has lured many a fashionista, but at what price?
"You're just sore. I mean, it feels like you're tip toeing all day long," said Stacy Bradley of Bristol, Conn.
"Tired and burning, aching, yes. But they're sexy. They're gorgeous," added Shebki Soodoo of Woodhaven.
Dr. Suzanne Levine sees the worst of the worst cases. One in 5 of her foot surgeries are re-dos for women in search of the perfect pair who've had botched jobs.
From toe tucks, shortenings and slimmings -- after 14,000 surgeries -- Levine has heard it all.
"I want my toes liposuctioned. My husband hates the way they look," Levine said, citing an example of the types of cases she gets.
"They don't want their foot chopped up so it doesn't look right. They want to be able to display their toes. They want to be able to look good and to be able to wear more fashionable shoes."
Fashionable shoes were mythologized by Carrie in "Sex and the City." But the reality is supermodels have been humiliated tumbling off the tops of 6-inch heels -- and everyday women are enduring pain just to wear them. So now surgery, Botox and fillers are increasingly the options they choose.
Expectant mother of three Tammie Green danced as a child and then decided to go under the knife to squeeze her feet into the shoes she loves. She had a toe shortening -- breaking and straightening the bone of her big toe, then a toe tuck -- shaving her pinky bone down all to be able to display pretty feet once again.
"I can't wait. I'm a shoe-aholic. I do have a lot of shoes," Green said.
So how much does this all cost?
"Oh, its tens of thousands of dollars," said Sara Austin, features editor at Self Magazine.
Cost aside, Austin said feet are the new face, and women are obsessing over the flaws.
"They're too wide, they have bunions. Their second toe is longer than their big toe," Austin said.
Launching a whole new industry to help us put that best foot forward.
Some of these surgeries can be covered by insurance, but many are strictly cosmetic, and that means patients spend thousands out of their own pockets.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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