This will always be considered cosmetic, unless really needed due to health reasons. How many people are willing to undergo the expense, pain, time and likely long-term issues such as arthritis and weakened bones from these kinds of procedures?

For those that are determined, they'll find a way no matter how many countries outlaw it. Even in your example, the woman had to go to Russia to have this done.

I'd worry more about procedures that are legal here and now and are often botched: breast implants, facelifts, lasik surgery. Though the success rate is high, when these operations fail, extreme disfigurement or death can be the result.

Does cosmetic mean: "serving to beautify" or the alternative "done superficially to make something look better"?

In the article the woman appeared to be having the surgery for superfical reasons...but consider someone getting (what you consider cosmetic surgery) lasik surgery for a very practical reason (they are in the military and survival of their fellow soldiers may be at risk if they are in a fire fight and one of their contacts slip). Is it still cosemetic? Not by any conventional definition.

If a person weighs the KNOWN financial and social risks of staying short vs. potential health risks of become tall and they determines that the lose of money or social status is more significant, what business do you have attempting to tell them they are wrong?

Nice response, but had nothing to do with my post. I couldn't care less what anyone does, all I'm saying is that I doubt there's a huge need to police this kind of thing (which is why I titled my post: "I seriously don't think this is an issue"). The number of people doing it on a whim (or for any other reason) would be very small.

Regarding lasik, again, I don't care who does it, but for those who it doesn't work right, it can have devastating side effects. Not to mention the long term effects, which have barely begun to be explored.

OK. Sorry if I was a little off topic. Excellent point about the lasiks. It would be great to know your sources though (even if it was just a hyperlink or google scholar search word).