When Do We Stop Growing in Height?

The average person's growth, especially in terms of height, ends at approximately 20 years of age. In other words, it is unlikely that a person getting observably taller after the age of 20 (although there are some exceptions).

Pelvis width is a direct limiter of height. It is not possible to increase in height without enlarging the pelvis, except in cases of disease conditions. Therefore, looking at how the expansion capacity of the pelvis changes over time allows us to determine when height growth stops.

In a study conducted by the University of North Carolina in 2011, it was shown that the pelvis enlarged a total of 2.5 centimeters between the ages of 20 and 79. Therefore, even if you keep your fat percentage constant, your waist diameter can expand by a total of 7.6 centimeters in 59 years, which is a negligible increase in height.

Similarly, in 2008, a study by Duke University showed that the skull grows throughout a person's lifetime, the forehead protrudes forward, and therefore the cheekbones gradually recede.

Unfortunately, other bones in our skeleton stop growing with the end of puberty. If you are not happy with your height when you reach the age of 20, unfortunately you cannot expect more from nature and your genes. Even if you were to supplement with medication, it would not increase your height or cause a significant change, since the activity of the genes was terminated.

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Is there Any Other Way to Increase the Height?

The only functional way to artificially increase height after the age of 20 is surgical intervention. In these surgeries, the bones to be lengthened are broken and cut by surgical methods. Extender rings are placed on these broken areas, and then as the bone tissue heals itself, they also lengthen by filling the space created by these rings.

However, the results may not always be as desired. Moreover, you need to pay between 20.000-50,000 TL (between 50-200 thousand TL as of 2019-2020) to undergo this surgery. In return for this amount, you can endure pain that is unbearable for 6-8 months, and at the end of this, you can grow an average of 6 centimeters.

But look at the positive side of your height not growing after the age of 20: What if your nose and ears continued to grow after the age of 20?

In fact, the nose and ears seem to grow and sag after the age of 20; but it's not evolution, it's gravity. As the cartilage in these organs deteriorates, they sag under the influence of gravity, causing an appearance as if growth is continuing.