What are the Risks of Obesity Surgery for Teens?

We're seeing two new trends today. The first one became noticeable a couple of years ago: kids are getting fatter. No one has a clear idea of why; some blame it on video games and televisions, others on fatty food habits picked up in school lunchrooms and home, and still others on a relatively indulgent and often absent parenting style.

The second trend is obesity surgery for teens. With the drastic rise in teen obesity, it's easy to see why this has become a trend.

Which Teens Get Obesity Surgery?

According to published guidelines in the magazine Pediatrics, teens who want obesity surgery should:

* Have failed at least a six-month organized weight management program (or series of them) under the care of their pediatrician or family doctor.

* Be fully physically mature, or nearly mature.

* Be severely obese with a minimum body mass index of 40 and obesity related disease - or have a BMI of 50 or more with or without disease.

* Have medical and psychological evaluations both pre and post procedure, and show no signs of addictive behaviors or binge eating behaviors; approach to food should be normal and healthy.

* Promise not to get pregnant for at least a year post-surgery.

* Be motivated and able to follow the specified diet post-procedure.

* Be mature enough to make decisions, and capable of providing an informed consent to surgery.

* Have a supportive family that is motivated to help the teen follow a diet and exercise plan post-procedure.

The Quick-Fix Society

So why the sudden turn to surgery rather than the tried-and-true methods of diet and exercise? We live in a quick-fix society, and it's getting worse. Teens today have less patience than I had at that age, only twenty years ago. If diets don't help them drop five pounds right away, they switch to another. Physical exercise is taxing to the body, and many aren't fit enough to start any kind of exercise program without some weight loss first.

A pill can fix some things. But obesity is only quickly treatable with pills that also harm the body, or with surgery that alters the size and shape of the stomach.

Side Effects of Obesity Surgery