Weight loss surgery also known as bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure aimed at helping obese people loose excess weight. Despite receiving much criticism, bariatric surgery is still useful in treating people whose weight loss has defied both exercises and dieting. However, it is advisable for anyone looking to undergo the procedure to first seek appropriate information before subjecting yourself to the knife.
There are two commonly practice forms of weight loss surgery: Restrictive and Malabsortptive surgery. Malabsortive surgery seeks to reduce the size of the stomach; making one to get satisfied by eating small quantities of food while malabsotive surgery aims at shortening the small intestines hence making less food to be absorbed in the body. Below is an in depth account of the two form of bariatric surgery and how they work to help people gain the figure they crave.
*Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
This is a weight loss surgical method that reduces the size of the stomach and shortens the section of the small intestines which absorb digested food. After undergoing this procedure, one gets satisfied by taking lower amounts of foods and some part of the small intestine is by passed by the digested food making fewer amounts of calories to be taken into the body. This is the most common type of bariatric surgical method. Many of its proponents are especially taken by the fact that it is relatively risk free and there are accounts of people who have lost up to 60% of their pre-surgical body weight.
*The Gastric Banding Procedure
It involves the placing of an inflatable silicon band round the upper stomach; this band is then tightened using a small opening. After this procedure, patients get full by ingesting small quantities of food. It is considered a less invasive method with the added advantage of being reversible should this be necessary. It assists individuals to loose weight by reducing the amount of food they take and in the long run absorb in their body. This method leads to about 40% of excess weight loss.
*Billion Pancreatic Diversion
This method is similar to the roux-en-Y bypass surgery in every aspect except that a larger part of the intestine is by passed as compared to the former method. It is a very difficult technique to perform even though it is highly effective. The main disadvantage of this method is that it leads to nutritional deficiencies. Less than 5% of bariatric surgeons use this method.
*Vertical Banded Gastroplasty
This method uses staples and a plastic band to effectively reduce the size of the stomach. All this is in a bid to reduce the amount of food taken into the body of an overweight person hence assisting him or her to lose weight. Currently, this method has been rendered less effective compared to the others because of the barely significant amount of weight it helps lose. Few bariatric surgeons still perform this procedure.
Good health is all an individual requires in order to enjoy their life. Seeking better healthcare is an one’s sole task that help them increase their lifespan and improve the quality of life they live. Actions taken by an individual for better healthcare range from simple acts like an EHIC renewal to complex ones like undergoing bariatric surgery.
