Many people need medically-assisted weight loss to improve their health and quality of life. Gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy surgeries change the structure of your stomach to aid in weight loss and treat or completely cure underlying medical issues.

Innovative bariatric endoscopic procedures can provide significant results without the risk of complications for those who don’t qualify for invasive surgery. 

Increased Self-Esteem

What are non-surgical weight loss procedures? Many patients who undergo surgical weight loss procedures like the LAP-BAND or gastric bypass experience a significant boost in their self-esteem due to losing significant amounts of excess weight. However, only some have the time or resources to undergo a surgical procedure.

Non-surgical weight loss procedures allow those with busy schedules to get the help they need without sacrificing their lifestyle. These methods typically have a much shorter recovery time, making returning to work or other vital activities easier.

For example, the intragastric balloon is a relatively new device that can help obese patients lose up to 55% of their baseline weight. Incorporating healthy habits and lifestyle changes can significantly improve your overall well-being and quality of life. Studies have demonstrated that adopting healthy habits can result in long-term weight loss. Sleeve gastroplasty is a viable option for those seeking weight loss. Extensive demonstrations have shown that this minimally invasive procedure is highly effective in significantly reducing stomach size. It can also improve health problems like high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes. The best part about these non-surgical surgical procedures is that they’re completely reversible.

Reduced Risk of Complications

Obesity has many severe health conditions, such as high blood pressure, Type-2 diabetes, sleep apnea, degenerative arthritis, and heart disease. Weight loss surgery helps patients overcome these health issues. However, surgical procedures have risks that can result in early or late morbidity and mortality.

During bariatric surgeries, doctors change the way your digestive system works. These changes can be restrictive, malabsorptive, or mixed (both restricted and malabsorptive). Restrictive operations reduce the stomach’s size, decreasing calorie intake, while malabsorptive procedures limit food absorption, limiting calorie and nutrient intake.

Non-surgical procedures like endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) don’t require cutting or stapling, dramatically reducing the risk of complications. These procedures place a liquid-filled balloon in the stomach, making it harder to eat much food.

The FDA-approved gastric balloon system known as Orbera is another non-surgical- reversible option to help you lose and maintain your desired weight. These devices rely on a balloon-like device that can be filled with saline to make the stomach feel full.

Less Expensive

Surgical weight loss procedures are expensive. They come with a surgeon’s fee, hospital cost, and fees for any devices used during the procedure. Luckily, non-surgical weight loss methods can be much less costly.

Using an intragastric balloon is an effective weight loss option that doesn’t require surgery. This balloon restricts the amount of food consumed by taking up space in the stomach. It is a promising method to initiate one’s journey toward weight loss. 

Numerous non-surgical weight loss techniques have been developed that replicate the surgery outcomes. These include endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (lap band). Lap band surgery is typically very affordable.

Achieving weight loss through a healthy and medically-supervised approach can provide numerous benefits. It can significantly lower your blood pressure, decreasing the likelihood of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, shedding those extra pounds can improve your blood sugar control and lower cholesterol levels. Patients who opt for bariatric surgery can save up to $4,800 annually on healthcare expenses related to obesity. This considerable amount of money can be redirected towards improving your overall well-being.

Less Downtime

Non-surgical weight loss procedures often take much less time to recover from than surgical weight loss techniques. It is essential because it can reduce weight loss treatment’s impact on your work and personal life.

In addition to the reduced recovery time, these procedures usually involve a lower risk of complications than surgical options. For example, the FDA approved the AspireAssist device in 2016. It involves placing a tube into your stomach that can be drained after meals to reduce the calories you consume.

These devices are typically made from silicone and can be removed or exchanged anytime. The device must be removed to allow you to resume your standard diet and exercise regimen.

Intragastric ballooning, and Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG), are also reversible. These procedures are an excellent option for people who want to lose weight but don’t qualify or don’t want to undergo a surgical procedure. They offer an alternative to yo-yo dieting or extreme exercise programs and help people quickly reach their healthy weight goals.

Less Pain

Many people with significant weight loss often find their pain levels lower than expected. These procedures are minimally invasive, meaning there is no incision and less chance of infection and pain. It also allows patients to return to their daily activities much faster than they would with surgical options.

Non-surgical methods, such as Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG), reduce the size of a patient’s stomach without removing any portion of the digestive tract. It helps people feel full quickly, reducing the ability to eat as much. It can help prevent complications often associated with surgical methods, such as acid reflux, bowel obstruction, hernias, and ulcers.

ESG is an excellent option for individuals who want to lose weight and don’t qualify for bariatric surgery. However, these techniques still require a commitment to significant lifestyle changes to be successful. It includes diet, exercise, and lifetime follow-up visits to ensure your results are sustainable. It can be significant for those who have cycled through other types of weight loss and regained the weight they lost.