What Is The Safest Weight Loss Surgery?

Weight-loss surgeries are usually referred to as bariatric surgeries, even though there are many different forms. Weight loss surgery changes the structure and function of your digestive tract, helping you to lose weight and manage obesity-related medical problems.

If you're wondering whether weight loss surgery is safe, the simple answer is yes. Weight loss surgery is accepted as a safe treatment by reputable medical organizations and renowned health specialists.

One of your main concerns would be whether weight loss surgery is suitable for you. Although the common safety profile for weight-loss surgery procedures is positive, each type of surgery might have its own side effects that may be more or less likely, depending on an individual's risk factors.

Obesity is growing like an epidemic all over the world. In the United States alone, 1 in every 3 adults suffers from obesity. Today, the safest weight loss surgery, or bariatric surgery, is performed laparoscopically and is considered one of the most harmless forms of surgery.

Any form of surgery comes with associated risks, but in the condition of bariatric surgery, the benefits almost always outweigh the risks.

What Are the Preparations for the Safest Weight Loss Surgery?

Before planning your safest weight loss surgery, your healthcare provider at Healthy Türkiye will want to ensure that you’re physically and mentally fit for the surgery. You’ll meet with an expert team of specialists who will counsel you about the risks and benefits while evaluating your physical and mental health.

You might be required to pass medical screening tests to make sure the surgery is safe for you. If you use tobacco, drugs, or excessive alcohol, you’ll need to quit before qualifying for weight loss surgery. Your expert healthcare team can help you with this.

Your surgeon might also ask you to follow a pre-weight loss surgery diet for a few weeks to prepare for your procedure. This is to reduce the fat inside your abdomen, where the operation will take place, making the operation safer and reducing the risk of complications. Your surgeon will provide you with specific guidelines to follow.

What Are the Safest Weight Loss Surgery Options?

Each type of weight loss surgery has its own benefits and drawbacks. A series of tests and research were carried out for weight loss surgery. The surgeon recommends the type of surgery based on the individual’s health and needs. All surgeries carry a certain risk, but restrictive surgeries are safer than non-restrictive / non-absorbent surgeries, as they do not permanently interfere with the digestive system.

Gastric Banding

Gastric band surgery applies a restrictive technique to help patients lose weight. An inflatable band is cinched around the top part of the stomach, which divides it into two parts. The smaller part becomes the main stomach and the opening between the two sections causes the ingested food to flow very slowly from the top part to the bottom section. The patients feel “full” quicker and can not eat as much food due to the smaller stomach size.

There is a port implanted under the patient’s skin that will allow the opening between the two parts to be adjusted by inflating or deflating the ring that is positioned around the stomach. While considered the safest form of weight loss surgery for several years, it is not widely applied by bariatric surgeons today because it yields inadequate weight loss results and a high rate of long-term complications. Gastric band surgery is exactly reversible.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

Sleeve gastrectomy, also known as gastric sleeve, is an invasive surgical procedure that consists of removing part of the stomach to reduce its general size. How much of the stomach is extracted depends on each patient, but up to 70%-80% can be extracted.

The patient’s new stomach will be much smaller and therefore able to hold far less food. This means that the patient will have a reduced appetite and feel full faster. It is an effective operation that has been shown to induce substantial weight loss both in the short and the long term. Most patients see visible consequences just after a month, with weight loss continuing for 10-12 months, and sometimes longer. Although, the patient does require to make some long-term dietary changes to see the best results.

Gastric sleeve weight loss surgery is intended for morbidly obese adult patients whose lives and health have been significantly affected by their weight. The requirements for the procedure involve a Body Mass Index (BMI) of about 40 or higher, a set of tests, and a qualification by a surgeon. Gastric sleeve is one of most reliable and safest weight-loss surgeries with most patients facing no complications during or after the procedure.

Gastric Bypass

Unlike gastric sleeve, which works on your appetite, gastric bypass is primarily a malabsorptive weight loss surgery. This means it works on the number of nutrients your body can break down and turn into energy. Gastric bypass surgery includes scalping a small pouch out of your stomach and directly connecting it to your small intestine, "bypassing" the rest of your stomach. Your stomach will have a difficult time breaking down fat and sugar content. This means that you’ll absorb fewer calories from the food you eat. Gastric bypass also has a limiting role and will make you fuller quicker, but this effect is secondary.

Gastric bypass has a few advantages: it can help you lose weight more than a purely restrictive surgery like a gastric sleeve. Although the chances of losing weight are the same as with the mini-gastric bypass or gastric sleeve, some studies performance that it is a bit more effective at reducing type-2 diabetes.

Sadly, these advantages also come with downsides. This procedure is the most complicated on our list and the riskiest. Due to the lower nutritional intake, you might be dependent on multivitamins and mineral pills for life, as it is that much harder to get the suggested daily intake from food alone.

Duodenal Switch

Similar to gastric bypass surgery, the duodenal switch combines both limiting and malabsorptive properties to help patients lose weight. The patient’s stomach is made smaller through a sleeve gastrectomy and then, similar to gastric bypass, the digestive system is changed but in two different locations, which creates a more malabsorptive environment than in gastric bypass surgery.

This is more complicated and riskier than the other weight loss surgeries, and it is less often performed. The duodenal switch is not reversible but is considered the best weight loss surgery when measuring the most important weight loss in patients.

Endoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

The least invasive weight loss treatment on our list and the newest method among weight loss treatments is the endoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. This non-surgical procedure is the quickest and safest available to obese people. Additionally, the procedure is fully reversible.

The procedure is done with the use of an endoscope, a special tube-shaped device that accesses the stomach through the esophagus. When the endoscope is in the stomach, the surgeon stitches together the walls of the organ, helping it to become smaller.

That makes you feel full quickly and eat less, which causes a calorie deficit. To gain the energy needed to survive, your body will begin consuming your body fat, which will cause you to gradually lose weight over time.

The procedure is done with general anesthesia, causes no pain, leaves no scars, and lets you leave the hospital after just one day of hospitalization. It’s the most minimally invasive weight loss treatment in the world now.

Who Can Get Weight Loss Surgery?

Weight loss procedures are not applicable for everyone, and they are only performed if the patient's excessive weight poses a major health risk or hindrance. You can contact Healthy Türkiye before undergoing weight loss surgery. With the experts here, you can assess your situation and find out your suitability in more detail.

Body mass index (BMI) is the main medical criterion for weight-loss surgery. BMI is commonly used as a quick and accurate measure to determine if you have a healthy weight for your height. In common, you are a candidate for weight loss surgery if you have a BMI of 40 or above or a weight of more than 100 pounds above your ideal weight.

Risks & Benefits of Safest Weight Loss Surgery

The benefits of weight loss surgery can be far-reaching. Studies show that patients live longer and have an especially decreased risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. Weight loss in general is also known to help with sleep apnea and joint issues, as well as simply improve your overall quality of life.

Each weight loss procedure has its own exclusive benefits. The gastric sleeve helps patients lose weight by changing their appetite and changing gastric emptying. Gastric bypass is the most powerful procedure. Patients can expect to lose about 70%-75% of their excess weight in a two-year period and maintain this in the long run. It also has the most profound effect on patients who are suffering ill health as a result of their weight. The ESG is a non-surgical procedure, with low complication rates. The basic benefit of the gastric band is that it is reversible, minimally invasive, effective, and boasts the lowest complication rates of any of the weight loss surgical options.

With any medical intervention, there are a number of factors you must consider, and the same is true for weight loss surgery. It is impossible to estimate exactly how your body will react to the weight-loss procedure, but there are some known and established risks.

Even in the safest weight loss surgeries, there are risks of bleeding, infection, and anesthesia, as in all surgeries. Pre-existing medical cases can also be problematic and will need to be discussed with your doctor.

Aside from internal effects, there are some additional concerns that accompany extreme weight loss. You might see changes in your image, such as sagging skin and hair loss. These changes in your social life might also lead to mental health issues such as depression.