BACKGROUND: Cosmetic stature lengthening (CSL) is an elective orthopedic procedure performed to increase height. While clinical outcomes often define technical success, the broader effects on patients’ quality of life, functional recovery, and psychosocial well-being may be inadequately assessed. This review evaluates current outcome measures used in CSL studies in order to identify gaps in capturing patient-centered experiences and life impact outcomes. METHODS: Following the JBI methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a comprehensive literature search covering publications up to May 12, 2025, was conducted across MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus. Studies focused on CSL with extractable outcome data were included. Outcomes were categorized using the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) taxonomy. RESULTS: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting 410 outcomes grouped into 51 categories and 15 domains across four core areas: adverse events (3%), life impact (21%), physiological/clinical (75%), and resource use (1%). Only 25% of studies assessed quality of life, and while 55% measured patient satisfaction, most of these relied on unvalidated tools. Social functioning, an essential aspect of post-treatment well-being, was the least reported domain (15%). CONCLUSION: Outcome reporting in CSL is heavily skewed toward clinical metrics, with insufficient attention given to patient-centered measures such as quality of life, psychosocial well-being, and functional recovery. The lack of validated outcome measurement instruments impedes comparability across studies and limits evidence-based decision-making. Future research should prioritize standardized, validated patient-reported outcome measures to bridge the gap between technical success and meaningful patient experiences. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13018-025-06041-2.