- 
Arabic
 - 
ar
Chinese (Simplified)
 - 
zh-CN
Chinese (Traditional)
 - 
zh-TW
English
 - 
en
French
 - 
fr
Gujarati
 - 
gu
Italian
 - 
it
Lithuanian
 - 
lt
Polish
 - 
pl
Portuguese
 - 
pt
Punjabi
 - 
pa
Romanian
 - 
ro
Spanish
 - 
es
Tamil
 - 
ta
Urdu
 - 
ur

Weight loss surgery

Introduction

Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is an effective way of achieving weight loss. If you have been diagnosed with a serious health problem due to your weight, such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, surgery may be advised.  

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used by medical professionals to determine if you have a healthy body weight. For most adults, an ideal BMI is in the 18.5 to 24.9 range, whereas somebody having a BMI over 30 is classed as obese. 

Our bariatric consultants offer an in-depth assessment to determine if bariatric surgery is the best option for you and recommend possible treatments. We also offer non-surgical procedures.  

Ready to book now? Get in touch to discuss your needs and decide on the best course of treatment for you.

Ready to book now? Get in touch to discuss your needs and decide on the best course of treatment for you.

Reasons to see a bariatric specialist

You may benefit from a consultation with a bariatric specialist if: 

  • You have a BMI in the range that classes you as obese 
  • You have an obesity-related condition (such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure) that may improve if you lost weight 
  • You’ve tried other non-surgical weight loss methods, for example dieting and exercise and you have struggled to keep weight off. 

Common weight loss procedures

Gastric balloon​

The gastric balloon is the ideal non-surgical solution to weight loss. There are no incisions, no scars and no permanent change to your body. The balloon takes up 60% of your stomach space and acts as a portion control tool to reduce your food intake and help you lose weight. There are two types of gastric balloon available so the first thing to consider is which insertion method suits you best. The Allurion balloon is the latest innovation with a swallowable capsule whereas the BIB and Orbera balloons are implanted by endoscopy under sedation.  

Allurion 4-month gastric balloon 

With the Allurion swallowable gastric balloon there’s no hospital stay, no invasive procedure and no sedation. In a 20-minute outpatient appointment, you simply swallow the capsule with water and its position in the stomach is confirmed via X-Ray. The balloon is filled with saline through a thin catheter tube and after a second confirmation X-ray, the tube is removed and you’re free to go home. After 16 weeks, the balloon self-deflates and passes naturally out of the body.  

BIB 6-month and Orbera365 12-month gastric balloons 

Both the BIB and Orbera365 balloons are well established devices with excellent published data on safety and results. Both are inserted in hospital in a day-case procedure under sedation for your comfort. A long endoscopy tube is inserted through your mouth and the deflated balloon slides down into your stomach where it is filled with saline. After 6 or 12 months, you will return to hospital for the balloon to be removed in the same way. 

There are many factors to consider for eligibility, which you can discuss with our bariatric consultants, but the gastric balloon procedure is generally offered to those with a minimum body mass index (BMI) of 27. 

Gastric band

The gastric band is the safest weight loss procedure, and for many it’s also the best. With a track record stretching back 25 years, it’s proven to be safe and effective. A small, hollow silicone band is placed around part of the stomach which can be tightened or loosened as required to maximise weight loss. Our team has done over 20,000 band procedures and it’s an option everyone contemplating bariatric surgery should consider.  

 Gastric banding has a major, often dramatic, impact on a wide variety of obesity associated health conditions. In addition to the health benefits, gastric banding is shown to improve quality of life and increase life expectancy. 

  • Approximately 60% of type II diabetics are cured 
  • 70-80% of patients with high blood pressure reduce or stop medication 
  • 80% will have improvement in cholesterol levels 
  • 90% will have improvement in reflux symptoms 
  • Most people with sleep apnoea are cured 
As a guide, you can expect to lose 50-60% of your excess weight over the first 2 years although many patients will do much better than this. 
 
Key facts for gastric bands: 
  • Minimum BMI of 30 
  • Reversible  
  • No change to anatomy 
  • Relatively easily revised. 

Gastric Sleeve

The gastric sleeve (laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy) is the world’s fastest growing weight loss procedure. It has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years and now accounts for more procedures in the NHS than the gastric band or gastric bypass. 

The gastric sleeve is a simple concept. We access the abdomen laparoscopically (keyhole surgery) and cut the stomach along its length and remove about 80%. After sleeve surgery, the food you eat will still enter and exit the stomach in the same place as it did before (unlike the gastric bypass) but you’ll have a much smaller stomach. 

The sleeve helps you lose weight in two ways. It reduces the capacity of your stomach and it also changes the balance of hormones and proteins in the stomach. The change in gut hormones, including changes to GLP1, change and suppress appetite. For this reason, we expect sleeve patients to lose weight quickly. 

It’s important to note that your weight loss isn’t directly related to the size of your remaining stomach. The change to gut hormones will facilitate weight loss whether you have a relatively ‘tight’ or ‘loose’ sleeve. 

The primary reason most patients choose gastric sleeve is to lose weight. It’s a very powerful procedure and most studies show average (mean) excess weight loss of 60-70%* over a 2-year period.

Key facts for gastric sleeves: 

  • Minimum BMI of 35 
  • Not reversible  
  • Most common weight loss procedure  
  • Better weight loss than the band.

Gastric Bypass

The gastric bypass is a long-established weight loss procedure. Over 30 years it has proven to be safe and effective, delivering both excellent weight loss outcomes and significant health benefits. In fact, for people experiencing health problems associated with their weight, the bypass is generally the best procedure available.  

The simplest way to describe it is to say that the stomach and bowel are ‘re-plumbed’ so that the food you eat goes into a reduced stomach before passing directly into the bowel a little further down the bowel than was the case before.  

The bypass works in two ways. Firstly, by reducing the size of the stomach and so restricting the amount of food that can be eaten. We usually reduce the stomach’s capacity by as much as 90-95%  

Bypass Weight Loss: Typically, we expect gastric bypass patients to lose 60-70% of their excess weight over a 2-year period, and most of this weight is lost in the first year after surgery. 

Key facts for gastric bypass: 

  • Minimum BMI of 40 
  • Not Reversible  
  • Very powerful procedure 
  • Typically, best for particularly high BMI. 

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG / Non-surgical sleeve)

The ESG is an exciting development in obesity treatment that offers people a safe and effective alternative to the established weight loss options. Its main attraction is that it is non-surgical so people benefit from a lower risk profile and faster recovery time.  

The technique we use for ESG was developed by Mr Jamie Kelly, Bariatric Surgeon. Mr Kelly is a world leader in ESG and sits on the manufacturer’s European Advisory Board. Mr Kelly has developed an ESG technique known as Longitudinal Compression and it’s with this technique that ESG patients can benefit from more sutures than with the traditional technique. Therefore, Mr Kelly’s approach is now shown to deliver better weight loss outcomes and with very low complication rates.  

ESG Weight Loss: The weight loss results with ESG are excellent. Initially we were seeing weight loss similar to that for gastric band at 50-60% excess weight loss after 2 years, however the latest results are more encouraging. 

Key facts for ESG: 

  • Minimum BMI of 30
  • Possible to be reversed
  • No change to anatomy.

Available procedures

No procedures available

Looking to fast track your treatment?

Our consultants

Mr Anupam Dixit
Mr Anupam Dixit
Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon
MS, FRCS
Dr Konstantinos Mantzoukis
Dr Konstantinos Mantzoukis
Consultant Gastroenterologist
 

Ways to pay

Paying for yourself

Healthshare provides access to the highest quality care giving you the opportunity to access the very best treatment, facilities and consultants. Healthcare the way you want it, when you need it.

Spread the cost

A fixed term loan, provided by our partners Chrysalis Finance, will allow you to spread the cost of treatment and allow you to pay in monthly instalments over a time period to suit you.

Medical insurance

If you have private medical insurance you can get referred to a Healthshare Clinic for the very best treatment. Contact your insurance provider to pre-authorise your treatment today.

Complete our enquiry form