Bariatric Procedures

Bariatric surgery has transformed the lives of thousands of people who are suffering from the ills of obesity. As more and more Americans fall victim to obesity, bariatric surgery has become a very real option for those over 100lbs above their ideal body weight. For most people needing to lose significant weight, weight loss surgery may be one of the only long-term, effective options for them. All too often diet and exercise programs work in the short term, but eventually fail with the patient regaining most if not all the weight back.

What Does Bariatric Surgery Treat?

The common misconception is that bariatric surgery is a means to weight loss. While that happens to be the case with most patients, we consider it more of a positive side effect. In fact, the primary goal of our practice is to improve or eliminate co-morbidities – the diseases that are caused in whole or in part by being overweight. Indeed, we believe that bariatric surgery must be used in cases of medical necessity and not for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes only.

How does it Work?

Bariatric surgery is the umbrella term for several individual procedures that use food restriction or malabsorption or both to achieve weight loss. Malabsorptive procedures re-route the small intestine, so that fewer nutrients and calories are absorbed through the intestine walls while restriction limits the amount of food entering the stomach and allows for rapid weight loss.