The Truth about Weight Loss Surgery

What was the first thing you thought of when you first began to research weight loss surgery? If you’re like most of us, it was “losing weight, of course!” And while weight loss is the most measurable of the benefits associated with bariatric surgery, it is not the primary advantage. In fact, Dr. Lublin and Golden State Bariatrics takes great pains to ensure that you and all of our patients understand that weight loss surgery is all about disease improvement and resolution rather than aesthetics.

Each and every bariatric procedure we perform is based on a risk assessment. We must ensure that the risks of the procedure are significantly lower than the risks of living with obesity related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. That’s why we spend time before surgery to make sure that our patients really do need bariatric surgery in order to extend or even save their lives. The aesthetic and psychological benefits of the surgery, as well as increased social and career opportunities are important but very much secondary.

That said pre-operative testing, which includes heart, liver, kidney and lung function, is performed to determine the surgical risks that a patient may have. And there certainly are risks inherent in every surgical procedure, which may be exacerbated by a patient’s obesity and poor general health. Risks are fully described in our monthly weight loss surgery seminars and at your consultation.

Amazingly, while weight loss surgery is the only long-term effective weight loss solution for those suffering from morbid obesity, it is underutilized. As more and more information is disseminated about the procedure and its benefits and people learn more about the risks and how to overcome them, more and more people may change their lives with this disease-fighting procedure.