Q. Who can have obesity surgery?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Obesity surgery is a last resort for people who are dangerously overweight and have not found success with diet and exercise.
The most common obesity surgeries are gastric bypass surgery and gastric sleeve surgery. These surgeries work by reducing the size of the stomach so that people eat less, or by removing part of the stomach so that food digests more slowly.
Both of these surgeries carry risks, so they should only be considered after other methods have failed. For example, bariatric surgery may not be an option for people who have health problems like heart disease or diabetes.