Weightloss Surgery

Weight loss surgery (also known by the terms bariatric surgery and obesity surgery) may be an appropriate weight loss solution if other means to lose weight have proven unsuccessful. There are a number of weight loss surgery procedures including a gastric band, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and gastric balloon. Your surgeon will be able to advise which of these options is most suitable for your personal circumstances.

Research has shown that for those who are obese, weight loss or bariatric surgery is more effective from a clinical standpoint than non-surgical treatments such as prescription drugs or changes to lifestyle and diet. The World Health Organisation (WHO) along with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) both recognise weight loss surgery as a viable treatment solution for those who are classed as being morbidly obese.

View Treatment Options

The available weight loss surgeries can be broadly characterised as restrictive and / or malabsorptive. Examples of restrictive procedures are those in which staples or a band are used to reduce the actual size of the stomach. By making the stomach smaller, patients consumer less calories because they feel full much sooner, leading to weight loss. A gastric band, a sleeve gastrectomy and Primary Obesity Surgery Endolumenal (also known as POSE) are all examples of this category. Each takes a twin restrictive and bypass approach to aid with weight loss.

Under the restrictive/malabsorptive procedures category are: Duodenal Switch Surgery and Gastric Bypass Surgery.

As with any type of surgery, the different weight loss surgeries all carry their own risks and benefits and the type of surgery undertaken will determine how much weight you are likely to use. To see the best results, the procedure itself must be combined with new healthy eating and exercise habits.

Weight loss surgery works by helping patients to need less food to feel full. This creates a deficit between the amount of calories needed for day-to-day activities and the amount consumed (as the body feels fuller, sooner) which leads to fat stories being mobilised for energy and excess weight being lost.