You should never take your weight loss surgery options lightly. All surgeries come with serious risks, including death. So, you may be wondering, what is the safest form of weight loss surgery for me?
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery data proves that all types of weight loss surgery have a meager mortality rate (just 0.13%). Therefore, most doctors will only recommend bariatric surgery after other weight loss solutions have failed.
If you are obese, have at least one obesity-related illness like diabetes, or haven’t found success with other weight loss methods. Then, you might qualify for one of the many weight loss surgery options available today. Many obese Americans could even be eligible for insurance that covers weight loss surgery.
So what are the most popular types of weight loss surgery? From lap band surgery to implants, keep reading to discover the groundbreaking new ways board-certified bariatric surgeons are helping people like you lose weight and live healthier.
7 Types of Bariatric Surgery You Should Know About
There are three main categories of medical weight loss surgery options: restriction, malabsorption, and implantable devices.
1. Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery (a.k.a. Lap Band Surgery)
Like other types of restriction obesity surgery, lap band operations help people lose weight by restricting the amount of food that will fit inside the stomach. Today, bariatric surgeons will attach an adjustable lap band around the top of the stomach, which creates a smaller stomach area that can only hold a few ounces of food.
Some patients have lap band insurance approved by their insurance company, but only if they meet specific requirements. For example, the FDA approved the gastric band for patients who meet two requirements: he or she must have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 and suffer from at least one obesity-related condition, like diabetes.
2. Gastric Bypass Surgery
Because gastric bypass surgery has been performed for more than 50 years, it’s the most well-known type of weight loss surgery. The operation involves removing a portion of the stomach or creating a smaller stomach area, sometimes combined with a malabsorption method to achieve additional weight loss results. To learn more about malabsorption, keep reading.
3. Roux-en-Y-Gastric Bypass
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery involves both stomach restriction and malabsorption. Not only is a portion of the stomach stapled, but a Y-shaped area of the small intestine is attached to the new stomach as well.
This causes food to bypass a portion of the intestines, which means the body absorbs fewer calories. Because this type of surgery causes people to both eat less and absorb fewer calories, it can lead to rapid weight loss.
4. Sleeve Gastrectomy (a.k.a. Gastric Sleeve Surgery)
Gastric sleeve surgery is a surgical procedure that involves removing the outer portion of the stomach and then stapling the remaining portion shut. This creates a sleeve-shaped area that can help patients lose up to 80% of their body fat within 12 months.
5. Liposuction
Liposuction is a highly well-known and popular procedure for removing fat, but liposuction is not recognized as a viable weight loss or obesity surgery. It is a cosmetic procedure that involves sucking excess fat out of the body. While this can help people feel more confident in their bodies, it is not an alternative to genuine weight loss or obesity treatment.
6. Implantable Electronic Devices
This is a relatively new and unpopular type of weight loss surgery. Surgeons implant an electrical device that interrupts the signals between the stomach and the brain that helps to reduce appetite and food cravings.
7. AspireAssist
The AspireAssist was approved by the FDA but is not yet being widely used. However, it created a stir online because of the unusual (and some say disgusting) way it causes weight loss.
A valved tube is inserted directly into the stomach, and after eating, the patient would empty the contents of their stomach into a bag, then flush the partially digested meal down the toilet.
Olde Del Mar Surgical Can Break These Down For You
To better understand what kind of bariatric surgery you might qualify for, speak to the weight-loss experts at Olde Del Mar Surgical in San Diego County today! We have guided patients just like you to determine which procedure is right for them. We would love to hear from you!
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