Weight loss Surgery and Teens

Weight loss Surgery and Teens: Is It a Good Idea?

If your teenager recently decided that weight loss surgery is the solution to their weight problems, you may be feeling a wide array of emotions right now. Although most parents in your shoes wouldn’t even entertain the thought, you feel that this is the solution to your child’s problems. Although you may be curious as to whether or not weight loss surgery and teens go together.

Weight loss surgery for teens may or may not be the right answer. It depends on your teenager’s weight, health and fitness level. There is not one factor that fits all teenagers that determines if weight loss surgery is right for them. Weight loss surgery procedures are performed for a wide range of reasons. To help you determine if your teenager is ready for weight loss surgery, there are a number of factors that you will first want to take into consideration.

To begin the process, it is important to look at your child’s health. Is your child’s health at risk if they do not undergo weight loss surgery? For example, is your child merely obese or dangerously obese? It is possible to be too obese for weight loss surgery. If so, your teen may have to lose weight before gastric bypass doctors or other weight loss surgeries may be attempted. Of course, as a parent, you owe it to your child to help them explore other options. You and your teenager may first want to try more natural ways of losing weight, such as eating healthy reduced calorie meals and a regular program of exercising. There are gastric bypass stories of potential weight loss surgery candidates that had to get in shape before gastric bypass doctors would operate. Being too obese can have additional gastric bypass complications in addition to the common risks associated with weight loss surgery.

Since most weight loss surgery procedures are performed with the sole purpose of losing weight and improving appearance, you may not understand why your teenager wants the procedure. Be sure to talk to your child to understand their reasoning. Are they being harassed at school? Does your child have excess body weight that is causing them get teased at school? If your teen feels that weight loss surgery will solve all their problems, you may want to inquire about weight loss surgery counseling to make sure your teen has realistic expectations for post op weight loss surgery results. It is important to know the impact that constant harassment and heckling can have on a teenager’s self confidence and self esteem.

If you do approve of weight loss surgery, before letting your child’s heart set on weight loss surgery, it would be best to make sure that your child is a good candidate for weight loss surgery. Some gastric bypass doctors will not perform surgical procedures on those under the age of 18? Bariatric surgery Texas has more restrictions. A Texas weight loss doctor may not perform weight loss surgery on anyone under 21. So if you are searching for weight loss Texas, weight loss Houston Texas, or weight loss Austin Texas, it may be difficult to find a Texas weight loss doctor that will operate on a minor. Other bariatric surgeon Texas have restrictions, but may be a little bit more loose when applying them. For example, ideal candidates for liposuction are over the age of 18. This is often due in part to the emotional maturity levels. And how about insurance bariatric surgery, will your insurance provider cover your teen? There are gastric bypass stories of parents having to arrange gastric bypass financing because their insurance did not approve the costs associated with weight loss surgery.

Is your child mature enough to make a well informed decision about weight loss surgery? Do they understand that this is major surgery and know the possible gastric bypass complications? Have they seen gastric bypass before and after pictures? Most teenagers have not, they just got the idea into their head that weight loss surgery was the solution to all their problems. Many teens only know that they want to look beautiful, no matter what the costs. Can your child handle those costs though? If your child is thinking about weight loss surgery just to improve their beauty, it may be better to make them wait until they are 18 to make a weight loss surgery decision.

The weight loss surgery recovery process keeps some teenagers from being ideal candidates for weight loss surgery. After lap band surgery or bariatric surgery, your teen will need to rest and heal. Will school or college interfere with your teen’s ability to take the necessary time to follow the recovery process from weight loss surgery? Your teen will face certain food restrictions, no heavy lifting, exercising for weeks. Will your teenager follow their post surgery directions to the letter or do they lack the self discipline to keep within the post op weight loss surgery guidelines? If not, they may hurt their health and ruin the results of their weight loss surgery.

Many weight loss surgery clinics have restrictions and guidelines for weight loss surgery candidates and special rules for minors. If you do opt for weight loss surgery for your teen, schedule a consultation appointment with the gastric bypass doctor to determine if they are mentally and physically prepared for weight loss surgery.