Can I Get Clavicle Lengthening of 2cms Per Side?

Q:Dr. Eppley, Hello, I’m interested in clavicle lengthening. I haver a 45cm bideltoid measurement. I’m tall even I’m proportional for my height, it’s a small bideltoid size. I would like to lengthen 2 cm per clavicle.

A:The most important question in clavicle lengthening is whether the procedure is worth it based on what can be achieved. Due to the limitations of the shoulder girdle soft tissue attachments the average amount of clavicle lengthening in my experience is in the 15 to 18 mm range per side, not quite 20 mms. That creates an effect that is roughly equivalent to what it looks like if you roll your shoulders backward with so-called perfect posture. That is the change that occurs as the oblique orientation of the clavicles drives the shoulders out and back. It is probably best to think of it as shoulder squaring rather than shoulder widening per se. What that means to you can be seen in the attached imaging on what I think can be accomplished with the amount of clavicle that is possible.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon