Bariatric surgery is no longer considered a surgery for adults as more and more adolescents begin to undergo the procedure.

Surgeons are now performing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, which reduces the size of the patient's stomach from a melon to thumb, decreasing the amount of food they can consume.

Adolescents Losing Excess Weight

The procedure, which was originally restricted to adults because of its permanence, has begun to be performed on more teens who are facing health risks like diabetes due to their weight.

Four of the 18 teenagers who had bariatric surgery last year also received the body contouring surgery, which rids the body of excess skin.

“It's sort of like the graduation,” says Trish Walters-Salas, a nurse case manager at the Texas Children's Hospital.

Those who undergo the surgery have lost about 70 percent of their excess weight and are required to attend a support group before and after their surgery to ensure they stick to a strict diet and exercise plan.

A Whole New Life

KeAira Willis is 17 and recently underwent bariatric surgery, losing nearly 200 pounds.

A few months later she returned to have 30 pounds of excess skin removed from her five-foot frame.

“I feel really good about myself, I feel like I can do anything,” comments Willis.

(Source: The Houston Chronicle)

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