How the LAP-BAND® System Works
The LAP-BAND® Weight Loss System helps you lose weight and keep it off by limiting food intake, reducing appetite and slowing digestion.
During the procedure, the surgeon places an inflatable silicone ring around the upper part of your stomach. The newly created small upper stomach pouch limits the amount of food you can eat, and the narrowed stomach outlet increases the time it takes for your stomach to digest the food and empty. You feel full sooner, and stay full longer.
The band is adjustable, so it keeps your stomach the exact size you need to lose the optimum amount of weight at a healthy rate. An access port beneath your skin allows the surgeon to adjust the tightness of the band as needed by adding or removing saline.
Watch the Lap-Band Education Video.
Advantages of the LAP-BAND® System
It works. A recent article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal recommends weight loss surgery as an acceptable option for individuals for whom all other conventional weight loss methods have failed. The LAP-BAND® System is an excellent option for effective long-term weight loss. To date, there have been more than 300,000 LAP-BAND® System procedures performed worldwide.
Minimal trauma. The LAP-BAND® System is the least invasive surgical option for weight loss. There’s no cutting or stapling of the stomach wall or bowel, and the laparoscopic technique means less pain, a shorter recovery time and minimal scarring.
Adjustability. Tightening or loosening the band ensures the right degree of restriction to achieve healthy, long-term weight loss. Should you become pregnant or ill, the band can be loosened to accommodate your nutritional requirements, then tightened again after you’ve given birth or recovered from your illness so you can easily get back on the road to weight loss.
Reversibility. Although the band is intended to be permanent, it can be removed if needed, and your stomach will return to its original form and function.
Fewer risks. When compared to other obesity surgeries like gastric bypass or vertical banded gastroplasty, there is a much lower risk of complication and nutritional deficiencies.
The Personal Cost of Obesity
Weight loss can change your life. Losing dangerous excess weight with the LAP-BAND® System can significantly improve your health and enhance your psychological and social well-being – not to mention your overall quality of life. Dramatic weight loss can also significantly reduce weight-related costs, which on average can be more than $16,000 a year per person. You owe it to yourself to take control of your weight-loss and your financial health.
| Weight-Related Expenses |
Estimated Annual Costs |
| Medical/drug costs (BMI>35)1 |
$7158 |
| Employment inactivity costs2 |
$1080 |
| Commercial weight-loss program fees3 |
$720 |
| Prescription co-pays (5 meds, $10 each) |
$720 |
| Grocery and dining costs4 |
$6385 |
| Total |
$16,063 |
- Health Management Research Center, University of Michigan, 2001.
- Colditz, GA. Economic costs of obesity and inactivity. Med Science Sports Exercise, 1999.
- Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., October 2002.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures, 2001.
How the LAP-BAND® System Works
During the procedure, the surgeon places an inflatable silicone ring around the upper part of your stomach. The newly created small upper stomach pouch limits the amount of food you can eat, and the narrowed stomach outlet increases the time it takes for your stomach to digest the food and empty. You feel full sooner, and stay full longer.
The band is adjustable, so it keeps your stomach the exact size you need to lose the optimum amount of weight at a healthy rate. An access port beneath your skin allows the surgeon to adjust the tightness of the band as needed by adding or removing saline.
Watch the Lap-Band Education Video.
Advantages of the LAP-BAND® System
It works. A recent article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal recommends weight loss surgery as an acceptable option for individuals for whom all other conventional weight loss methods have failed. The LAP-BAND® System is an excellent option for effective long-term weight loss. To date, there have been more than 300,000 LAP-BAND® System procedures performed worldwide.
Minimal trauma. The LAP-BAND® System is the least invasive surgical option for weight loss. There’s no cutting or stapling of the stomach wall or bowel, and the laparoscopic technique means less pain, a shorter recovery time and minimal scarring.
Adjustability. Tightening or loosening the band ensures the right degree of restriction to achieve healthy, long-term weight loss. Should you become pregnant or ill, the band can be loosened to accommodate your nutritional requirements, then tightened again after you’ve given birth or recovered from your illness so you can easily get back on the road to weight loss.
Reversibility. Although the band is intended to be permanent, it can be removed if needed, and your stomach will return to its original form and function.
Fewer risks. When compared to other obesity surgeries like gastric bypass or vertical banded gastroplasty, there is a much lower risk of complication and nutritional deficiencies.
The Personal Cost of Obesity
Weight loss can change your life. Losing dangerous excess weight with the LAP-BAND® System can significantly improve your health and enhance your psychological and social well-being – not to mention your overall quality of life. Dramatic weight loss can also significantly reduce weight-related costs, which on average can be more than $16,000 a year per person. You owe it to yourself to take control of your weight-loss and your financial health.