Obesity Surgery for Teenagers

Obesity in teenagers has emerged as a major public health problem. Teenagers who are heavy suffer from very disabling self-image & discrimination problems. They encounter social difficulties because of their weight and, of course, medical problems are much more common in them than in normal weight adolescents. The psychological problems are more debilitating for the young person than are the physical disabilities, although both are important. Most heavy teenagers have tried a number of weight loss therapies (including exercise programs and diets) to no avail. They are trapped in a heavy body. Obesity is finally being recognized as a disease that is incurable.

The roots of obesity lie in a person's genetic pattern, so if a teenager is heavy he/she will stay obese until some effective intervention is used. For those teenagers who are morbidly obese (100 pounds or more overweight), the most successful therapy is surgery. T The great majority of them have lost significant amounts of weight and their lives have returned to normal or near normal. The psychological problems are markedly improved and the physical disabilities usually disappear. The young folks feel that they have been given their life back.

There is a safe, minimally invasive surgical procedure that is now being used on both adults and teenagers called the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band. We feel that it represents an excellent opportunity for an adolescent to achieve normal or near normal body weight with a minimally invasive (laparoscopic) operative procedure. There are other surgical procedures available for more severely obese teens (based on individual circumstances).

We are offering the band to adolescents whom we carefully screen preoperatively. We prefer that potential patients be at least 13 years of age. We also assess whether potential patients are physically and emotionally stable enough to have the procedure.

Our caring surgeons offer ongoing, life-long support and monitoring of the health status and weight loss of our patients. We have an experienced staff who understands the heavy person's needs and are sensitive and respectful.

Our experience with morbidly obese adolescents is that they achieve a massive weight loss and a marked improvement in quality of life following surgery. Most wish the surgery had been done many years previously.

To our knowledge, no one in the western United States has done more obesity operations on teenagers than we have. In our hands, the surgery has been remarkably effective in the great majority of cases.

Experts in the field feel that a morbidly obese young person who loses his/her excess weight could live 15-20 years longer (on average) than if they remain heavy. And, with the excess weight gone a teen's life can certainly be much more pleasant, active and healthy. Surgery is the best choice to achieve this life-saving & life-changing goal. Our surgeons can help you or your teen explore these options.