
A lap band is a form of Los Angeles bariatric surgery that involves wrapping an inflatable silicon band around the upper portion of the patient's stomach. By inflating the band, it forms a small pouch in the top part of the stomach. Normally, an average stomach will hold around six cups of food. This pouch, by contrast, will only hold a half of a cup. Since the pouch fills quickly, the message is sent to the brain that the patient is full and thereby their hunger is reduced. A lap band helps patients feel full faster and become hungry again less quickly. In short, they will eat a significantly smaller amount of food and thus improve their weight loss results.
During the surgery, a Los Angeles weight loss surgeon will make a small half inch incision in the patient's abdomen and inject a bit of CO2 gas into it to create a workspace. A camera is inserted into the incision that gives the surgeon a view of the stomach. Next, a few more small incisions are made. Long handled surgical instruments are inserted into these cuts as the surgeon completes the procedure by watching a video monitor. The small incisions make recovery from this type of surgery far faster and less painful than if traditional surgical procedures were utilized.
It should be noted that a lap band Los Angeles is only used as a last resort to weight loss. Patients must have a certain level of body mass index and show that they have tried without success to lose weight through diet and exercise before they will even be considered for a lap band. While the surgery is much less invasive than other types, it still carries several risks and a painful recovery. Proper diet and exercise habits must also continue to be maintained after the surgery in order to achieve optimal nutritional conditions and help the weight loss along.