Regular people can lose weight through diet and exercise alone. Sometimes, however, people get so heavy that this simply doesn’t work anymore. No matter how hard people try, the weight just isn’t shifting. If you are in that position, and you find that nothing seems to work, you may need to look at a different option, namely the lap band procedure.

There are many different bariatric procedures on the market. Only a specialist will be able to determine which option is best for you. However, the specialist will also be able to listen to what your personal preferences are and take those into consideration, so you should do some research into what exists. Bariatric procedures are either malabsorptive or restrictive, or both. With a restrictive procedure, the size of the stomach is reduced, which means you can’t eat as much. With a malabsorptive procedure, a part of the intestine is bypassed, which means you can’t absorb as much calories from the food you consume. With a combination procedure, both the size of the stomach is reduced, and the intestines are bypassed.

The Lap Band

One of the most common bariatric procedures today is the lap band. One of the reasons why it is so popular is because it is very simply to put in place and even to remove. Furthermore, it can be adjusted if need be. The complication rate is very low as well, and it comes with a very short recovery time and little to know scarring. But it is still an impressive procedure, because people can lose between 40% and 75% of their weight in just two years.

The lap band is basically a silicone band that is fitted around the entrance to the stomach, using a laparoscopic procedure. This means that only a few incisions are made in the abdominal wall. And, with the advances of medical science, some specialists are now able to perform this surgery with just two incisions, which means there is even less risk of complication. The incisions are around one inch in length, and the surgeon can insert a camera in one, and the tools in the other. This means that there is no need to open up the entire abdominal area, which leads to long recovery times and high risks of complications.

Once the silicone band is in place, a narrow tube is fitted between the band and an access point that is hidden just underneath the skin. Thanks to this port, it is possible to for a surgeon to tighten or loosen the band as required. Only some local anesthetic is needed for this, and you can generally return straight home the same day.

One of the reasons why the band is so popular is because people are becoming overweight and obese at increasingly young age. With many traditional bariatric surgeries, it would no longer be possible for women in particular to carry a pregnancy healthily, which means they effectively stopped being able to reproduce. With the lap band, however, this is no longer a problem.