Will 20mms Clavicle Lengthening Add 20mms To My Outside Shoulder Width?

Q: Dr. Eppley, When you say that the clavicle gets lengthen 20 mm does that mean that you are gaining 20 mm on the outside as well? If my shoulder width measured deltoid to deltoid is 47 cm does that mean that after the procedure my shoulder width would be 49 cm? I’m askin because I heard from another surgeon that you can lengthen the clavicle 2 cm but you only get 1 cm visually on each side.

A:That would be correct. It is not a 1:1 relationship as the surgery is performed on the inner 1/3 of the clavicle and the effect is sought at its outer third. The exact correlation is not known but it is fair to say it is better than 1:0.5, more likely 1:0.8.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon