LAP-BAND® System Weight Loss Surgery — Helping Orange County and Los Angeles Patients

The LAP-BAND® System offers morbidly obese patients a safe, effective, and minimally invasive way to lose significant weight and regain control of their health and their lives. When performed in conjunction with a strong surgical weight loss support program, LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery helps our Los Angeles patients and our patients from around the world achieve a slim look they may have never believed was possible. While the gastric bypass surgery procedure has been labeled the "gold standard" of weight loss surgery treatments, the LAP-BAND® System procedure offers the advantage that it is fully reversible. We specialize in LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery at our Orange County Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ bariatric surgery practice because extensive research and our own experience have proven it to be one of the best ways for our patients to enjoy long-term success.

• What Is the LAP-BAND® System?
• Preparing for LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery
• LAP-BAND® System Weight Loss Surgery
• After LAP-BAND® System Weight Loss Surgery
• Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ Support

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What Is the LAP-BAND® System?

The "LAP" in " LAP-BAND®" comes from laparoscopic surgery, which is the surgical technique central to the LAP-BAND® System. The "BAND" is a silicone ring that can be adjusted with the addition or removal of saline solution. The first gastric band was patented in 1985 by a Swedish company, but it was not designed to be placed laparoscopically. The first laparoscopic gastric banding system, the LAP-BAND® System, was introduced in Europe in 1993. In 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved LAP-BAND® System surgery for patients in the United States.

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Preparing for LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery

Before you are accepted for LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery, your surgeon will ask you to supply a medical history and will perform interviews and tests to ensure that you are a good candidate for the procedure. You should be at least 100 pounds overweight and have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. If you are suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, or other weight-related health problems, and you have a BMI of 35 to 39.9, you may be a candidate for LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery. If you are a Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, or San Bernardino resident, we will ask you to visit our Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ clinic before your surgery so that we can perform basic tests, which will include a urinalysis, blood tests, a glucose test for diabetes, an electrocardiogram, and others as necessary. If you live outside of the Southern California area, we will work with your physician to obtain your medical information.

We will also perform a psychiatric evaluation to determine if you have the stability and determination to make your LAP-BAND® System surgery successful in the long term. The procedure will help you limit your food intake, but you must have clear intent to change your lifestyle and eating habits drastically and permanently in order to succeed in the Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ program.

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LAP-BAND® System Weight Loss Surgery

Perhaps surprisingly, the typical LAP-BAND® System surgery performed at our Orange County Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ practice is an outpatient procedure that takes less than an hour to complete. The surgeon first makes three to five small (¼" to ½") incisions across the abdomen and places a plastic tube called a cannula into each of the openings. Then, through the cannulas, the surgeon inserts the laparoscope, a tiny camera that projects an image on a TV monitor through fiber-optic cable, along with the delicate tools necessary to perform the surgical procedure. By using a laparoscope to view the body's internal structures, the surgeon is able to precisely place the LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band around the upper third of the stomach to create a small pouch. The instruments are removed and incisions closed, and that's it! Your procedure is complete! Following surgery, we'll monitor you in our comfortable recovery room. After that, a companion will drive you home to relax. If we feel it's necessary, we will have you stay at the hospital overnight for observation.

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After LAP-BAND® System Weight Loss Surgery

The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band creates a small pouch in the upper portion of your stomach that, at first, holds about two ounces of food. You will feel full longer after eating because the nerve receptors that send the full feeling to the brain are located in the upper portion of the stomach. Eventually, the pouch will accommodate four to six ounces of food. Your surgeon can make adjustments to the LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band at any time by adding or removing saline solution with a needle via a port that is placed just under your skin. The LAP-BAND® adjustment procedure involves just a pin prick during a quick office visit.

During the first three to four days after your LAP-BAND® System surgery, you will be on a clear liquid diet. After that, you will be on a modified liquid diet for five or six weeks. You'll be able to consume protein shakes and foods such as soups, baby food, and sugar-free gelatin. In the subsequent six weeks, you will be able to eat foods such as meat, vegetables, and salad that have been shredded in a food processor. After completing this final "food processor" phase, you can begin to eat solid foods. You will have to relearn eating skills such as taking small bites, chewing thoroughly, and eating much smaller portions. We have weight loss supplements available to help you stay healthy after LAP-BAND® System surgery by ensuring that you get the vital protein and nutrients your body needs.

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Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ Support

Our Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ team will monitor your progress and provide support throughout your initial weeks following your LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery. If you live in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, Riverside, or another Southern California locale, we'll ask you to join our support-group meetings as often as possible. LAP-BAND® System surgery requires a radical change in your lifestyle. We urge you to use all the support available to you to help you succeed in your Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ program. It may help you to visit our weight loss surgery gallery occasionally during the first weeks and months after your procedure to see what others have achieved by faithfully following their Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ guidelines. This will help motivate you to stick to your responsibilities as a LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band patient.

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Learn More about LAP-BAND® System Weight Loss Surgery

LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery performed at our Orange County clinic, near Los Angeles, is a minimally invasive procedure that can benefit your appearance, your health, and your lifestyle. Visit the LAP-BAND® website to learn more or Contact Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ today to schedule a consultation with one of our compassionate surgeons and begin the path to a new life.

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Contact Lite & Smart DIMENSIONS™ today to learn more about LAP-BAND® System weight loss surgery. We serve Orange County, Los Angeles, and the world by providing the finest care and outstanding results.