THESE are good times for the cosmetic industry in Singapore. Western imagery linking towering height with success and sex appeal is drumming up business on an unprecedented scale.

Catherine Koh, managing director of the Beauty Forever chain, says the beneficiaries of her methods can expect to put on a few centimetres within a few months. Mrs Koh claims to be a living example of the success of her own treatment, having added about 20 centimetres to her height.

Kelvin Lim, 14, spent a year of daily limb stretching on a rack he bought at a salon. As a result, he says, he has soared to a strapping 1.76 metres, 10 centimetres above the national average for men.

"I'm also taller than all my friends, and it makes me feel good. Maybe it's better for getting girlfriends," he grinned. Roland Lim, 19, no relation, admitted he had spent more than $5000 on treatments at another salon, paid for out of a part-time job without his parents' knowledge. In three years, he said, he had grown four centimetres.

It is all a matter of pressure points, the new industry's cheerleaders say. Large, pink vibrators massage pressure points behind the knees and under the feet, stimulating the pituitary gland into releasing growth hormones.

Other methods include calcium and vitamin D supplements, "growth patches" placed on the back of the neck and the rack.

Mere height is not enough. Young, upwardly mobile east Asians are seeking other "Western" features, including the round eyes and light-coloured hair of the heroes and heroines of the American films, television and music that dominate local culture.

Concern about the booming trade has led newspapers to carry doctors' warnings about some of the strange and potentially dangerous methods on offer.

Doctors have pointed out any rapid height gains are more likely to have been generated by natural teenage growth spurts than outside intervention.

They also point out that in wealthier parts of Asia, such as Singapore, modern youngsters are anyway a few centimetres taller than their parents thanks to a more Western, carbohydrate-led diet.

The Telegraph, London