An Introduction To Bariatric Obesity Surgery

Bariatric obesity surgeries, sometimes referred to as a body lift in Houston, are gastrointestinal operations that change the capacity and anatomy of the digestive system. There are two types of bariatric obesity surgery; restrictive like LapBand and combined restrictive and malabsorptive like Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In case of restrictive surgery, the size of the stomach is reduced using staples and/or a band so that the quantity of food ingested is reduced drastically. In the second type of surgery, the stomach capacity is not only reduced, but made to bypass the upper part of the upper intestine so that there is a reduction in the consumption of calories and nutrients in the body.

Some plastic surgery procedures are carried out under general anesthesia using a midline abdominal incision while some are done using laparoscopic surgical techniques and cameras to view the operational site. Besides, bariatric obesity surgeries differ in how much of the stomach is sectioned through stapling, gastrectomy and banding and how much of the duodenum and jejunum is bypassed.

Effects of surgery in your digestion process

In both type of obesity surgery, as the size of the stomach is reduced drastically, the quantity of food that can be consumed at a sitting is reduced while its satiety is increased. Moreover, the digestive tract below the stomach is changed, so that food bypasses most of the duodenum after leaving the small stomach pouch to the final part of the jejunum.

As food moves in a very small intestine, and comes in contact with few digestive enzymes, there is absorption of fewer calories and nutrients. This in turn helps with weight loss.

Not an easy weight loss option

However bariatric surgery is not an easy option for obesity. While some people may lose as much as 200 pounds of weight, some remain overweight, but less than before the surgery. Moreover, to maintain the reduced weight, patients have to follow their doctor’s diet and exercise.

Bariatric surgery is usually resorted to as the last resort to combat obesity, and comes with lots of pain and risks of surgery. After the surgery, patients have to radically change their eating habits and they tend to fall ill if they overeat. Moreover, patients are at the risk of suffering longtime nutritional deficiencies after bariatric surgery.