Will I Be Suitable For Weight Loss Surgery?

There are lots of things to consider, other than weight itself, when looking into having weight loss surgery. Other factors are taken into consideration, because there is no set weight; for example, a taller individual will carry more weight comfortably when compared to a shorter individual of the same weight.

What to consider before opting for weight loss surgery

• Medical history,
• Current weight,
• Height,
• Have all other weight loss options been explored?

Why should these factors be considered?

To begin with, surgery for weight loss should only be considered as a last resort and is suitable for individuals who have tried dieting, but struggle to lose weight or keep weight off. When discussing surgery as an option, the surgeon will want to look at your medical history to ensure that there won’t be any undesirable side effects after or any medical issues preventing the surgery. Not only will they look into your medical history, but at your current weight and height through the use of the Body Mass Index.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is often used to calculate when someone’s weight is healthy and is a primary indicator used by bariatric surgeons to assess the suitability of a patient for weight loss procedures and to monitor post-procedure weight loss. If someone’s BMI is between 25 and 29.9, they are considered to be overweight, but once their BMI goes above 30, they are considered to be obese and above 40 is when they enter the stage of being morbidly obese. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.

In relation to the BMI statistics, the NHS follow the NICE (National Institution for Health and Care Excellence) Guidelines. These state that people wishing to seek weight loss surgery treatments must fit one of the following criteria:

• BMI +35 with other weight related illness (such as; sleep apnoea, heart conditions or Type 2 Diabetes),
• BMI +40 without additional health related illnesses.

Here at Streamline Surgical, we believe that every patient is unique, so we have no hard and fast criteria that we use when assessing patients for weight loss surgery procedures. However, it is important that we carry out a detailed assessment that takes the outlined factors above into considerations, but we do understand that there are exceptions to the above BMI rules.

As private specialists, we aim to match the right treatment with the patient, so if you have been unsuccessful in losing weight and have an obese BMI, we may be able to help.

For more information on the weight loss surgery options available or for more information on the criteria for surgery, please call 0333 016 3030 or fill in our online enquiry form.