MAYWOOD, Il. -- The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society is warning patients to avoid "foot facelifts."

Cosmetic foot surgery includes narrowing the foot to better fit high heels; shortening the second toe so it's not longer than the big toe and making the little toe shorter and skinnier to accommodate high heels.

"The risks of such surgeries -- including infections, pain, scarring and nerve damage -- are much greater than the benefits," said Loyola University Health System foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Michael Pinzur.

"I hope patients will follow the Foot and Ankle society's recommendation that surgery never be performed just to improve the appearance of the foot," Pinzur said.

Pinzur is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Health System is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and 25 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 561-licensed-bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus in Melrose Park includes the 264-bed community hospital, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness and the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center.