How far would you go to wear your Jimmy Choo shoes?

Were you aware that by the age of 40, the padding on the balls of your feet starts to wear out? This fact makes it all the more difficult, and sometimes more painful to shimmy into a pair of sky high stilettos and walk down the street, or the red carpet, like you own it.

Injecting collagen and Restylane into the feet, to plump up the padding, has become a popular procedure among Hollywood divas who wouldn’t think of turning their backs on their Manolos. I found an article in USA Today, which dates back to 2004, entitled, “Podiatrists can plump you up for stilettos,” so clearly, this procedure isn’t new to the market.

Recent mentions of foot injections are at the news forefront in Los Angeles due to the Awards Season in Hollywood, wherein we will watch our favorite stars slip on towering, bejeweled shoes and wonder just how they manage to walk with such grace, without wincing, or crying, or throwing their shoe across the room after one hour.

According to the USA Today article, doctor’s opinions on the procedure differ. Susan Levine, a podiatric surgeon in Manhattan, has put the padding back in many celebrity feet and she explains that the results are great, and last between six to nine months. Edward Chairman, a podiatrist who has injected patient’s feet with their own fat, says the procedure doesn’t work, calls it a “gimmick” and says that foot surgery is what is needed.

Perhaps the bounce in celebrity steps is indeed from collagen injections. The beauty of it is, we may never know, as the soles of their feet won’t betray their secret, but the relaxed, pain free smile on their faces might.

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